VA Pittsburgh Creates First VA Dialysis Program in a Long-Term Care Facility

The CLC-based dialysis program at the O’Hara Township campus is the first of its kind among VA’s 170 medical centers nationwide. It eliminates the need for veterans in long-term care at the CLC to travel multiple times a week to the health care system’s dialysis center at its acute care hospital in Oakland. For many of the patients, it also allows them to receive the treatments in their own rooms.

“We kicked off the dialysis program with seven patients who received treatment,” said Dr. Paul Palevsky, VAPHS’ chief of renal section. “We are grateful to all the staff who are responsible for standing up this program so we can provide in-home care to our CLC veterans.”

Although the primary reason for starting the program was to reduce veterans’ potential exposure to the coronavirus, the new dialysis program is also more convenient for veterans, especially in winter – and it saves on transportation costs.

The patients have at least one face-to-face appointment weekly and daily access through telehealth to a VA Pittsburgh nephrologist.

For more information, contact Hope Nelson at hope.nelson@va.gov or 412-822-3528.

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About VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System

VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System is one of the largest and most progressive VA health care systems in the nation. More than 3,700 employees serve nearly 80,000 veterans every year, providing a range of services from complex transplant medicine to routine primary care. It is a leader in virtual care delivery through telehealth technology; a center of research and learning with more than 300 active research projects and $30 million in funding; and a provider of state-of-the-art health care training to some 600 residents and students annually.

VA Pittsburgh provides veterans’ health care services at its medical centers in Oakland and O’Hara Township and its outpatient clinics in Beaver, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania and Belmont County in Ohio.

Veterans can call 412-822-2040 to check their eligibility and enrollment. Stay connected and up to date on the latest VA Pittsburgh news and events at pittsburgh.va.gov, @VAPHS on Facebook and @VAPittsburgh on Twitter.