After 11 years of community mobilization and fundraising, a western Quebec hospital has finally unveiled its new dialysis unit.The new unit at the Shawville Hospital, located in the Pontiac regional municipality, means that more than 20 dialysis patients will no longer have to travel three times a week to Gatineau or into Ontario for treatment.It’s the third dialysis unit to be opened in the Outaouais in recent years, with others debuting in Papineau and Maniwaki.”It makes a big difference in the life of the community,” said Rachel Brisson, a clinical instructor at the Shawville Hospital, at the unit’s unveiling Saturday.
“I think it’s a great success to be able to offer [these services] to these people.”
New unit costs $1.4M
The establishment of the unit, which includes seven dialysis stations, cost $1.4 million.
Nearly half that amount — between $650,000 and $660,000 — was raised by the community through the hospital’s foundation.
“This is a great day for the people of Pontiac,” said André Fortin, the Liberal MNA for the riding.
“People showed interest in a project like this because it is important for their loved ones who had to travel to Hull.”
