Cañon City residents worry over health care access with pending closure of dialysis center
CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Last week, Paula Lerma was handed a letter while waiting for one of her three weekly dialysis appointments at the Fresenius Kidney Care in Cañon City.
Reading the papers, she quickly learned that the dialysis center was closing on November 4, 2023, and she would soon have to travel to Pueblo West for her treatment three times a week.
"You might as well sign your death warrant if you're not going to do dialysis because that's the only thing keeping us going," said Lerma.
Overwhelmed with stress and uncertainty, Lerma turned to her best friend Patty Stiller, who has helped her since she was diagnosed with renal failure a few months ago.
Together they've tried to brainstorm solutions for health care access, but the options look bleak.
Inside the papers handed to Lerma was a list of dialysis centers in a 50-mile radius of the one she relies on. The closest dialysis center for Canon City residents is in Pueblo West, over 27 miles away, and though conquering the distance regularly seems incredibly daunting, Lerma says moving to live closer is not an option.
"I can't do it physically. I can't do it financially," said Lerma. "I don't think I can do it mentally."
As Lerma's best friend, Stiller is worried about her making the drive in the winter months. Stiller said she has reached out to the company and the Governor to see if the closure can be stopped, but no one has responded.
"Our government keeps telling us they want to make health care affordable and accessible. Well, this company, this private company is going to make it inaccessible for these rural communities," said Stiller. "I'm just really frustrated and angry about it. I don't know that there's anything anyone can do. I would like to see the state or the federal government step in."
KRDO reached out to Fresenius Medical Care for a comment, and they sent this statement:
Like most healthcare providers in the U.S., we are facing a challenging economic environment and we’ve made the difficult decision to close the Canon City dialysis clinic. We have ensured all those who need dialysis treatment are being accommodated at other Fresenius Kidney Care facilities in the area and all staff have been reassigned to those centers. Some patients will also have the option to transition to home dialysis if they’re able and interested.
Kirsten Stratton, spokesperson for Fresenius Medical Care
Ultimately, the decision on where to receive treatment is up to the patient. Our priority remains providing safe, high-quality, and life-sustaining dialysis treatments to our patients and our care teams are committed to working with patients as they transition to new clinics or treatments.
