Local Lawmaker Visits Good Sam's Dialysis Unit

In recognition of National Nephrology Nurses Week New York State Senator Phil Boyle took a tour of Good Samaritan Hospital’s Dialysis Unit in Bay Shore. The American Kidney Fund joined the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA), in a nationwide salute, during the second week in September, to the nurses who care for patients with kidney disease and provide life-saving care each day.

In addition to a hospital-based dialysis unit, which provides dialysis for patients in acute renal failure, there are two free-standing centers. The Chronic Dialysis Center (CDC) in Bay Shore opened in 1976, the first freestanding dialysis facility in Suffolk County, followed by an additional site in Lindenhurst in 2000.

A total of more than 55,000 treatments are provided annually at the three locations. Both Bay Shore and Lindenhurst offer maintenance dialysis and transplant referral. Additionally, Bay Shore offers self care, peritoneal and home hemodialysis training. The self-care department helps patients to maintain more independence and interaction in the course of their treatment by providing training for at home hemo and peritoneal dialysis or in-center self-care hemodialysis.

Shown left to right in the photo are New York State Senator Phil Boyle, Good Samaritan Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs Jerome Weiner, MD, Treasurer, LI Chapter of the American Nephrology Nurses Association Michael Luna, Good Samaritan Hospital Nurse Managers, CDC/Bay Shore Jillian Watkins and Beverly Walter, Medical Director of Dialysis William Fran, MD, Joanne Faber, RN, Romana De La Cruz, CDT, Performance Improvement Coordinator in Nursing Informatics for CDC/Bay Shore Chukwuma Egbuziem, RN and Melissa Gedeon, RN.