Leadership Huron class makes donation to HRMC dialysis expansion

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HURON — The 2022 Leadership Huron Class recently donated $21,180 to the HRMC Foundation’s capital campaign to support the expansion of dialysis services in Huron. The class held a Vegas night event and inaugural Dialysis Dash in 2022 as fundraisers for the project, which were supplemented by funds granted by the Huron Community Foundation.

Director of dialysis services and 2022 Leadership Huron class member, Jennifer Jungemann, RN, BSN,  was humbled that her class chose to focus their efforts on raising funds for the expansion, “I am grateful to have worked with such an amazing group of people that saw the need and supported it through many challenges.”

“It is very exciting to watch a class come together and put on great events to raise funds,” says Laura Cross, program and event director at the Huron Chamber and Visitors Bureau. “When the 2022 class heard the impactful testimony from Jennifer Jungemann about patients who were not able to receive treatment here due to limited space, our hearts melted and we were all-in to raise funds for the much needed update and renovation of the dialysis unit.”

Funds raised will support renovation of the building previously occupied by Women’s Wellness Center at 142 3rd Street SE in Huron to house the future home of HRMC dialysis services, which are currently located in the Central Towers at the hospital. The new location will provide more convenient access for dialysis patients, who receive treatment three times per week. Renovations will expand the unit to twelve treatment chairs, increasing the capacity for providing the service locally. The current dialysis unit houses seven chairs and can serve up to 21 patients per week.   

Dialysis is a life-saving treatment for those with advanced kidney disease, which occurs when damaged kidneys cannot filter waste from blood. Those living with the disease are at risk for serious complications including heart disease, damage to the central nervous system and an increased risk of infection due to compromised immune function. During dialysis, a machine takes over the responsibility of the kidneys to filter waste from the blood.

If you have questions about dialysis services, please call Jennifer Jungemann, director of dialysis at HRMC at 605-353-6308. If you are interested in supporting the HRMC Foundation’s dialysis endowment or capital campaign for renovation and expansion, please contact the HRMC Foundation at 605-353-6315 or foundation@huronregional.org.