After 16 years of making the grueling drive between Fort Bragg and a Ukiah dialysis clinic, Don Myers can finally put away his chainsaw.
“It was like the Postal Service, rain or shine, landslide or no, we had to go,” said Myers, after the exuberant grand opening ceremonies for the Fort Bragg Dialysis Clinic on Sunday.
Myers carried his chainsaw and had to use it over the years to clear the winter road. Even more incredible, Myers sometimes was forced to drive himself to and from his dialysis treatments.
“The effect of dialysis is something like jogging for three hours,” said fellow patient Pete Derrick.
Stunningly bright winter sun blessed the opening ceremonies for the Cypress Street facility.
Long-time dialysis patient and activist Rose Turner, also famed for her rhodies, cut the ribbon to ceremonially open the clinic.
Nurse-manager Misty Billings said the clinic started providing dialysis services to five test patients (including Turner) shortly after Halloween and will soon be up to 13 patients. The clinic has been complete and waiting for final state inspections for about six months.
Billings works for Nashville-based Dialysis Clinics Inc., the largest not-for-profit dialysis provider. DCI took over in the 11th hour when the commercial company that had agreed to run the clinic backed out. After meeting Kathy Warner, the woman who led the Mendocino Coast Dialysis Project for two years, Billings worked for two and a half years at the Ukiah dialysis clinic to get experience for the job.
Linda Lynch, regional manager for DCI, introduced the staff for the clinic and said Fort Bragg”s effort was the talk of headquarters in Tennessee.
“They are so in awe you are able to do this kind of thing, and we are so proud to be part of it,” said Lynch.
“Patience is really a virtue,” said the Rev. Mike Bottenfield, who allowed the Mendocino Coast Dialysis Project to use the First Baptist Church for its meetings and offered an opening prayer.
Rob Borcich, a former Fort Bragg Planning Commissioner, gave credit to Gordon Westerling, who donated the property and paid for the clinic to be built
“Gordon wanted to get it done. His biggest issue was that local people do everything. And it was done. Ed Taublold (architect) stepped up, Jerry Matson built this thing with local contractors. Tony Cancilini donated TVs. Everybody did something,” said Borcich.
When Westerling was a corporate executive in Southern California, he had a driver who was on dialysis. Westerling did not appear at the ceremony, but came later.
“He is a shy guy, not wanting to take credit,” Borcich said.
Borcich, a broker at Mendocino Pacific Realty, told of the process that began with his meeting Westerling three years ago.
He detailed how in the first meeting with Public Works Director Dave Goble and City Manager Linda Ruffing, the building clearly didn”t qualify for the intended use because of a lack of parking and other issues.
Neighboring physician Dr. Wallace agreed to a boundary-line shift to gain a bit of space for parking, and “The city was very supportive? About six engineering plans and about 10 variances (were) granted by the city, (and) here we are.? This is a fast track project. Everybody wanted it to happen and got it done.”
Delays in the process came when the state, not the city, rescheduled final inspection due to issues over an outdated permit form. Borcich pointed to the landscaping, which includes trellised roses and artistically arrayed shrubs as evidence of the local flair
“I have been to the strip mall dialysis clinics. This is beautiful. This is what Gordon wanted. It is amazing testament to what a small town can do. Fort Bragg can do anything,” Borcich said.
Coleman Lieber has been making the monstrous Ukiah commute since March.
“This has given me half my life back. I don”t know what else I can say. We have been blessed with people coming forward and volunteering to take me over the hill, so much,” said Lieber.
“One couple came every Tuesday and Thursday, the Dunhams. They wouldn”t take money for gas. They were just unbelievable, and the load was much less than what it could have been on my wife,” he added
Lieber spent most of his life in Cleveland, and before now never considered himself a small-town kind of guy.
“This is a phenomenal community. There are a lot of people who give of themselves beyond what is expected, or required, or even typical.”
The building got praise from those who took tours for its bright and welcoming interior. Each station features a huge colorful recliner and ample room in the booth, although visitors aren”t allowed.
Lieber compared the new facility to the one in Ukiah that most Fort Braggers had been using.
“It”s very nice. It is much different, but not in a bad way. The other place has been open a long time, and they have a crew of people who have been doing it a long time. They are young, having a wonderful time with each other and are very professional,” Lieber said.
“Over here, it”s quiet. We don”t have any visitors here. I used to take my lunch and eat my lunch at my seat. I can”t do that here because they have no eating and no drinking. They have their reasons, and it”s not a problem, but it is much different feeling, not negative in any way, though.”
Doug Hammerstrom was on hand from the city of Fort Bragg for the ceremony. All of those interviewed said the speed of the opening was an amazing accomplishment.
“I am just so proud of everybody here. This is no easy undertaking for any city or county, and for a small coastal area, this is a phenomenal accomplishment,” said Peggy Greenwood, Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce ambassador, who said her background was in helping establish medical facilities.
Myers” ex-wife Marlene said Don”s children had to work and couldn”t always take off to drive him.
“Then the kids would be worried sick. What if it started bleeding halfway over [while] on Highway 20?” she said.
Like all those interviewed, she expressed amazement about the effort that led to the clinic.
“Most people don”t have anyone with this problem and don”t know much about it. For the community still to care enough to get behind an effort like this is amazing,” said Marlene.
Marlene said the new clinic has opened at just the right time.
“One unit in Ukiah just shut down, and the other is full. New patients from Fort Bragg, along with Ukiah would be shipped to Santa Rosa or Lake County,” she said.
Pete Derrick and his wife Helen moved to the Mendocino Coast because the clinic was about to open but are now doing dialysis at home. Derrick, 44, has been in dialysis since 1995, his body having rejected two transplants. He is one of more than 300,000 Americans currently live with chronic kidney failure, the foundation says. Virtually all these patients would die if not for the aid of ongoing kidney dialysis.
Helen Derrick said the family wore out three cars doing the grueling drive. She said patients will still need to drive to Santa Rosa for many services. “It”s not just the doctors, it”s teams of surgeons who know how to work on these shunts and fistulas. Being in a small community, you are still going to have to go to Santa Rosa sometimes.”
Chris Ives, the medical director for the clinic, works out of Santa Rosa. Lynch said DCI is looking for a part time social worker and a second RN.
In the United States, one in 16 people, or about 17 million, are at risk for kidney disease, according to the Whitaker Foundation.
Dialysis acts as an artificial kidney, in which the blood is circulated outside the body and cleaned inside a machine before returning to the patient, according to the FDA. The process lasts 3-4 hours and must be done three times per week for most patients.
Before dialysis can be done, a nurse must make an entrance, called an access, into the patient”s blood vessels. Many patients have permanent access points called shunts.
Blood drains into the dialysis machine to be cleaned. The machine has two parts, one side for blood and one for a fluid called dialysate. A thin, semi-permeable membrane separates the two parts. As dialysate passes on one side of the membrane, and blood on the other, particles of waste from the blood pass through microscopic holes in the membrane and are washed away in the dialysate. Blood cells are too large to go through the membrane and are returned to the body.
Studies show dialysis patients live shorter lives in the U.S than in Europe and Japan. This is blamed on private industry providing spotty service in this country, but also on shorter attention spans of Americans, according to the FDA. Dialysis lasting 5-6 hours may be more effective.
