University of Utah closing kidney clinics in Southern Utah, Mesquite, but dialysis centers will remain

ST. GEORGE — The University of Utah Health system says it is closing three kidney clinics in Southern Utah as well as its clinic in Mesquite, Nevada. However, the adjoining dialysis centers will remain in full operation for the foreseeable future.

Front entrance to the University of Utah Health Dixie Kidney Clinic, St. George, Utah, June 1, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

The closures, which will be effective on June 30, include the Dixie Kidney Clinic in St. George, Hurricane Kidney and Nephrology in Hurricane, the Iron Mission Clinic in Cedar City and Desert Valley Kidney in Mesquite.

At the same time, the loss of the center won’t mean the loss of its nephrology doctors to the area. Both of the doctors from the Dixie Kidney Clinic are joining St. George Regional Hospital.

A spokesperson for University of Utah Health did not provide a reason for the closures.

The dialysis centers that are right next to each of those locations will remain open as they are run by a different provider.

“Nothing here is changing. The only thing that is changing is the nephrology clinic … they are closing but does not affect the dialysis part,” said Trevor Pulley, manager of the Dixie Dialysis Center on River Road in St. George. “We’re still open, we still have nephrologists. All our clinics will stay open.”

DaVita Kidney Care runs the Dixie Dialysis Center as well as dialysis centers in Cedar City, Hurricane and Mesquite. 

Matthew Clyburn, a spokesperson with DaVita, said they are trying to make sure their patients know that their services are still available. 

“As soon as we learned of the situation, we began proactively communicating with patients to clear up any confusion,” Clyburn said. “Another thing we’ve been telling our patients: If your physician is part of the nephrology department at University of Utah Hospital, they will communicate with you about next steps and should be able to answer any questions you might have.”

Stock image. | Photo by iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

There are also other dialysis centers in Southern Utah like Fresenius Kidney Care in St. George and Cedar City. Fresenius is also planning a dialysis center in Santa Clara.

A full list of dialysis centers can be found at this link.

As for the kidney clinics themselves, while patients at the University of Utah clinics face uncertainty as to where they are diagnosed and cared for next, there are other local options.

Those who were under the care of the doctors at the Dixie Kidney Center are being given the option to continue with them at St. George Regional Hospital. 

Another direct option is the Southern Utah Kidney and Hypertension Center, which has clinics in St. George and Cedar City. 

However, many of those options lie in telehealth links to facilities in Northern Utah, which is the situation in many cases for those in Southern Utah needing specialists. 

Intermountain Health doesn’t have a specialized nephrology clinic at either St. George Regional Hospital or Cedar City Hospital but does still service local kidney patients through telehealth links with the Intermountain Kidney Clinic in Murray. 

“We provide full services at locations all over the state and are more than happy to help,” Lance Madigan, spokesperson for Intermountain Health, said. “The best first step is for people to check with their insurance and find out who has the services they need.”

Family Healthcare also doesn’t have specialized kidney services, but their doctors can still get patients to the right people, CEO Lori Wright said. 

“Family Healthcare does not offer nephrology services at this time, and depending on patient needs, refers patients to a range of providers of kidney care services in the region,” Wright said.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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