U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (GA) announced on May 7 that Tift Regional Medical Center (TRMC) in Tifton will receive a $600,000 federal grant to upgrade equipment at its freestanding dialysis center.  TRMC is the main hospital for Southwell.

“Christopher Dorman, Southwell's President/CEO, reached out to Sen. Ossoff about securing federal funding that would assist us in upgrading equipment at the TRMC Dialysis Center,” said Claire Byrnes, Senior Vice President, Ambulatory Operations for Southwell.  “The number of chronic kidney disease patients in our community is growing and many will need some type of renal replacement in future. Our goal is to double our current patient capacity.  Southwell will shoulder the cost of the TRMC Dialysis Center expansion, but this grant will greatly assist us with the equipment.”

Dialysis is a treatment for individuals whose kidneys are failing. There are two types of dialysis, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, that both perform normal kidney functions, filtering waste and excess fluid from the blood. 

Byrnes stated that the funds will be used to purchase equipment needed to expand to 48-stations at the TRMC Dialysis Center, allowing the hospital to meet the needs of 192 patients from Tift and the surrounding counties. The upgraded clinic will also allow the TRMC Dialysis Center to expand its home therapy program through additional space for training rooms and exam rooms. 

"This grant reward was really a community effort,” said Byrnes.  “In addition to Sen. Ossoff working hard on our behalf at the federal level, Southwell received great letters of support from local and state leaders.  This is much appreciated by our dedicated staff and the dialysis patients they serve."

The TRMC Dialysis Center is located in Tifton at 1010 Edgefield Drive.  Learn more at www.MySouthwell.com.