Mark P. Williams - Georgia State House District 178

Constituent News

Rep. Williams tours local dialysis clinic

State Rep. Mark Williams talked to patients and staff of Jesup’s DaVita Dialysis center as he toured the facility Friday.

A common thread of conversation among the patients was concern over treatment costs and the availability of kidney transplants.

While Williams admitted that he did not have any quick fixes, he assured the patients that the problems were being worked on. He pointed out that the costs of all aspects of public healthcare needed to be addressed.

“The problem with Medicare is the same across the street at the hospital and across the board,” he said.

Eighty-five percent of DaVita’s funding comes from Medicare, but the reimbursement rates are too low for much of a profit, said DaVita’s regional director, Susan Nadolski.

“We could not survive just on our Medicare patients,” she said.

Talking to the patients, Williams was told more than once of the long lines for transplants.

“As far as the availability of transplants, we can make incentives for organ donors and we can raise awareness,” said Williams.

He said he wished more people would choose to be organ donors when they got their driver’s licenses.

“You can’t take them [organs] with you,” he reasoned.

Nadolski led the tour and introduced Williams to the patients, and Dr. Tom Tucker spoke with him afterward.

“The question that should concern us is, ‘Where do these people from?’” Tucker said.

The doctor pointed to diabetes and blood pressure problems. He said that two-thirds of dialysis patients are diabetic.

“Education, awareness and early testing. We need to get out there, get the people identified and get them treated,” he said.

“By the time we get to most of the people, they are just a step away from dialysis or they already need it.”

Tucker suggested screening the family members of those already on dialysis.

He also spoke of the advances in dealing with kidney dysfunction.

“Nowadays the technology is much more refined,” he said. “I remember when it was a monumental feat to live five years on dialysis. Now people can survive 15 to 20 years.”

Successful transplants are also on the rise, and more treatment options are available if problems are detected early, he said.