DaVita St. Luke’s Dialysis Center in Allentown has a new easily-accessible location, a fresh, updated look and additional services for the care and convenience of kidney dialysis patients.

DaVita St. Luke’s Dialysis Center is a 10,000-square-foot facility at 1901 Hamilton St., Allentown, and houses separate areas for adults with chronic kidney failure for in-center hemodialysis and an area dedicated for adult home-modality education.

Formerly, St. Luke’s offered hemodialysis for chronic adult patients at St. Luke’s Allentown Campus, 1736 Hamilton St. With the center’s expanded floor plan, adult hemodialysis chairs increased four to 12 at the new site. This change provides additional access and availability for patients.

The new, larger clinic has wood finishes, soothing colors and a comfortable environment. The home dialysis unit offers training in a home-like setting for adult patients. DaVita St. Luke’s now offers home dialysis services for adult patients.

“Many patients are choosing home options, either Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) or Home Hemodialysis,” said Robert S. Gayner, MD, Chief of Nephrology, St. Luke’s University Health Network. “Dialyzing for shorter treatment times, several times each week in the convenience of the home allows patients to feel better and to improve control of blood pressure and many other abnormalities associated with kidney failure.”

Home hemodialysis and PD can be done overnight, allowing the patient to continue working, spend more time with family and other daily activities.

“Home dialysis units are convenient and mobile allowing patients the option to travel away from Home,” said Dr. Gayner. “Patients are able to board a plane with a carry-on dialysis unit, and supplies are shipped anywhere the patient will be located, such as vacation rentals, hotels and cruise ships. With this type of option, renal patients may enjoy the quality of life others without kidney failure experience.”

Each DaVita St. Luke’s Dialysis Center patient, whether undergoing home dialysis or in-center, is closely monitored by the staff through monthly doctor visits and lab work. The patients have access to nephrologists with a 24-hour call system and weekly visits by the nurses for home PD or hemodialysis patients.

St. Luke’s University Health Network, through a joint venture with DaVita Healthcare Partners, Inc., provides patients with end-stage kidney disease specialized dialysis care at several convenient locations throughout the region, with plans to expand its Whitehall location in the coming months.

DaVita HealthCare Partners is a leading independent provider of integrated health and kidney care services in the United States.