The new Billings Clinic dialysis center in downtown Billings held its ribbon cutting ceremony and open house last week, offering the public its first look at the new, cutting-edge facility. A joint venture between Billings Clinic, the region’s largest health care organization, and Dialysis Clinic, Inc., one of the nation’s largest providers of dialysis services, the 114,309-square-foot dialysis center will begin serving patients this summer.

“This new dialysis center allows us to serve more patients in a state-of-the-art facility that keeps them close to our downtown campus,” said Dr. Kendrick Trostel, a Billings Clinic nephrologist and the center’s medical director. “It ensures we can meet the growing need for these vital dialysis treatments. Our new center is a great addition to this neighborhood and to the core of our city.”

As the first major health care facility east of North 27th Street, the new center represents a transformative development that fits Billings’ desire for infill projects between downtown and MetraPark, using existing lots or buildings to bring in new development and businesses.

According to the U.S. Renal Data System Annual Data Report, more than 660,000 Americans are being treated for kidney failure and of these, 468,000 are dialysis patients. In the Billings area, the number of patients requiring dialysis treatment is growing by about 5 percent each year.

The new Billings Clinic dialysis center offers more space and easy ground-level access to patients while keeping them in close proximity to the main Billings Clinic campus. The center will be able to serve more patients each day and has the capacity to increase treatment space if needed. It more than doubles the amount of space available to patients, from 17 dialysis chairs and two home care rooms to 36 chairs and four rooms. The $3.9 million construction project provides patients with updated machines and equipment, along with full dialysis treatment and multiple delivery modalities, in a spacious and modern healing environment.

“The 17 station Billings Clinic dialysis facility is at capacity and our staff has done everything they can to accommodate the needs of current dialysis patients,” said Tim Reedy, Billings Clinic/ DCI Area Operations Director. “We are thrilled that the new location offers 19 additional in-center hemodialysis treatment chairs and two additional home therapy exam rooms.  We will be able to accept new in-center patients and expand our home therapy offering to include home hemodialysis.”

 Local architects, engineers and contractors CTA, Sanderson Stewart and Fisher Construction Inc. of Billings built and designed the center.