Ground broken for dialysis center

SIKESTON - The long-awaited Sikeston Jaycee Renal Dialysis Center came a step closer to construction after breaking ground today.

Officials representing the Sikeston Jaycees, the Missouri Delta Medical Center Board of Trustees and other benefactors celebrated the beginning of construction on the building which will not only house the MDMC Dialysis Unit but also a rural health clinic and the Sikeston Public Schools Practical Nursing Program.

Fundraising for the unit started over three years ago and more than $350,000 has been raised from Scott, Mississippi and New Madrid counties. The Sikeston Jaycees made the lead gift of $55,000 in January 1999. Many other groups and individuals have made significant contributions since, including $53,000 from the Missouri Delta Medical Center Benefit Ball and $25,000 from the MDMC Auxiliary.

"The community has been very generous toward this project. It is a much needed facility for our three-county service area," said Phil Barkett, MDMC Foundation president.

The new dialysis unit will house 15 new dialysis stations for patients with capability of expanding to 20. Currently patients are being served out of the in-house unit that has become too small. MDMC serves dialysis patients from six counties in Southeast Missouri and operates six days per week. Over 8,000 treatments are given annually through the unit.

The Sikeston Jaycee Renal Dialysis Center will be located just north and west of MDMC.

Plans for start-up of a rural health clinic and relocation of the Sikeston Public Schools Practical Nursing Program are still being mapped out, officials said.