Qualico Donation Helps End-Stage Kidney Disease Patients Access Home Dialysis Training

Edmonton, AB - Qualico has committed $750,000 to the University Hospital Foundation in support of the University of Alberta's Kidney Care - North Program, which provides care for approximately 1,500 patients living with end-stage kidney disease.

“Qualico is pleased to support the Alberta Kidney Care – North program and their ongoing work to provide leading-edge patient care,” said Shane Erickson, Regional Vice-President, Northern Alberta. “This important initiative aligns with Qualico’s commitment to support healthy lives for people in the communities where we operate.”

Last year, Alberta Kidney Care – North opened the West Edmonton Kidney Care clinic, an offsite dialysis centre, to provide a more comfortable space outside of the hospital setting. The main floor is dedicated to providing in-centre dialysis for patients, while the second floor will be used to provide a training centre for those who are interested in moving to home dialysis.

Qualico’s donation will go towards purchasing equipment to train patients on the second floor of the clinic so they can successfully transition to home dialysis. 

“The generous donation from Qualico to West Edmonton Kidney Care clinic will ultimately make life better for Albertans living with end-stage kidney disease, and speaks volumes to the incredible impact that our corporate partners have on the communities they work in,” said Dr. Jodi L. Abbott, President & CEO, University Hospital Foundation.

For end-stage kidney disease patients, receiving a kidney transplant can sometimes take years, and some won’t be eligible for a transplant at all due to various factors. Dialysis is necessary to keep these patients alive. Transitioning patients to home dialysis benefits the patients themselves, as well as the larger community.

In-centre dialysis involves going in three to four times a week for four or five hours each time. In comparison, home dialysis allows patients to choose when they dialyze and how often, giving them more flexibility and freedom so they can go to work or school and spend more quality time with their family.

Being able to dialyze more frequently means each dialysis session can be shorter and can also be easier on patients’ bodies.

In addition, having patients dialyze in the comfort of their own homes means more patients can be treated at dialysis clinics and hospitals, since it frees up space in programs that are seeing an increase in demand.

Cases of end-stage kidney disease are increasing about 7 per cent per year and some of the clinics and hospitals are full. As the numbers grow, it will become unsustainable. Alberta Kidney Care – North’s goal is to transition approximately 40 per cent of the patients who are currently on in-centre dialysis to home dialysis by 2025.

Qualico’s support for the program will be beneficial for patients’ physical and mental health and wellbeing. It will provide them with an opportunity to learn how they can move to home dialysis so they can have more control and freedom in their lives.

It can be very intimidating for people when they first start thinking about home dialysis, but with Qualico’s donation, patients will have access to the equipment they need to learn and practice how to dialyze at home, and they’ll get to learn about it with people and staff they know. This in turn will help take some of the fear out of moving to home dialysis.

To learn more about the University Hospital Foundation's work to support patients living with end-stage kidney disease, please visit https://givetouhf.ca/kidney-care.