DaVita Belvidere Dialysis opens its doors in Belvidere

By Kathryn Menue
Editor
BELVIDERE – After about a year of prolonged paperwork and drawn out plans, DaVita Belvidere Dialysis opened their doors on Monday, Feb. 15 at 8 a.m.
To celebrate the achievement of finally being able to treat patients, DaVita held a ceremonial ribbon cutting to kickoff their first day.
The ceremony began with Mayor Mike Chamberlain and Belvidere Area Chamber of Commerce President Dawna Menke saying a few words to welcome DaVita’s services to the community.
“I would like to welcome you to the community,” Menke said. “If you ever need anything, please contact the Belvidere Chamber.”
Mayor Chamberlain also shared his enthusiasm of having DaVita become a part of the Belvidere/Boone County community.
“This [DaVita’s services] is something sorely needed in Belvidere,” Mayor Chamberlain said.
No one in the Belvidere community was more excited than the DaVita employees and patients who have been waiting for this day to happen after months and months of preparation.
“This was very long awaited,” DaVita Belvidere Dialysis Manager Kristin Sayles said. “We’re happy this day has finally come.”
However, the State of Illinois still needs to survey the new facility to allow DaVita to care for more patients. As of Feb. 15, DaVita only tends to three patients, but once they gain full state approval, DaVita Belvidere will receive another 45 patients who will transfer from other DaVita locations.
The first patient, Jackie Woosley, joined the celebration before her first appointment on Feb. 15. Woosley was ecstatic about the dialysis center opening so close to home.
“I’m so happy to be in my hometown of Belvidere,” Woosley said.
Woosley, who has been on dialysis for 16 years, would drive 30 to 45 minutes to DaVita Stone Crest in Rockford to receive treatment.
Now, Woosley only has about a five minute drive to the new DaVita facility. Although she admitted she was a bit nervous about being at the new facility with so many different faces, she knew the change would be good for her.
Jackie Woosley and her husband used to run a dairy farm in Boone County until the illness became too much for them and they sold the farm. Now, with the change in commute timing, Jackie and her husband will be able to reclaim more time in their freed-up schedule.
“I can do a lot of things now,” Woosley said, since she will have more spare time because of her shorter commute.
Plus, Woosley loved the nice, new Belvidere unit where she would receive treatment.
The new facility, as of now, has less than 10 employees until they obtain the state go-ahead to receive more patients. DaVita Belvidere Dialysis currently has Manager and Nurse, Kristen Sayles; Patient Care Technician (PCT) Jenny Worth; Rachel Sites; Dietician Jamie Austen; Medical Director Dr. Ahmad; and Nurse Practitioner Jackie May.
About Davita Dialysis
DaVita Dialysis is a kidney care resource.
The Belvidere DaVita Dialysis is located at 1755 Henry Luckow Lane in Belvidere. For more information, call the Belvidere facility at (815) 544-0311.
Or, go to the DaVita website at www.davita.com. The website features several resources such as educational information, kidney care tips, service options, treatment options, recipes, and more.