Kidney bus provided dialysis at Umina holiday park

A new travelling dialysis treatment service visited Umina on June 26.

The Big Red Kidney Bus, a new service that provides mobile lifesaving dialysis treatment for regional patients, visited the Ocean Beach Holiday Park.

Ms Sue Dangerfield, who travelled from Berkeley Vale to receive treatment, said she was very impressed with her first visit to the bus.

"Kidney Health Australia has come up with a fantastic initiative which will help bring more meaning to people's lives," Ms Dangerfield said.

"It will give people like me the opportunity to travel more and experience a new-found sense of freedom.

"I'm hoping to go away to Nelson Bay and now that I know the bus will visit there this year I'm really looking forward to it," she said.

Brisbane resident Ms Loraine Chambers was enjoying a holiday by the beach during the recent stopover at the Holiday Park and said the new service had made travelling much easier and stress-free.

"I love it.

"The staff are great and they look after you so well," Ms Chambers said.

Central Coast Local Health District's renal services nurse manager Ms Joanne Kemp said almost 180 local patients were treated for haemodialysis services at home and across four specialised units found throughout the region.

"Dialysis patients are often restricted by their condition, but Kidney Health Australia's Big Red Kidney Bus is helping change all of that," Ms Kemp said.

The service is a partnership with Kidney Health Australia and Royal North Shore Hospital.

SOURCE:

Media release, 14 Jul 2017

Clare Graham, Central Coast Local Health District