Barb Brown settles into her chair at the Belleville Dialysis Clinic, adjusting the chair with the push of a button. “These new chairs are just so much more comfortable,” the 72-year-old says. “You just kind of melt into them.”
For Barb and the other 90 patients who rely on this clinic three times a week, four hours at a time, comfort is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. The new chairs, funded by generous donors, have made an incredible difference in their experience.
In December of 2024, 16 brand-new dialysis chairs arrived at the clinic, thanks to a $112,000 grant made possible through University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF) donors and includes five chairs being funded by Trenton Memorial Hospital Foundation (about $35,000).
Before the upgrade, the old chairs were showing their age. Some were manual, requiring patients to physically adjust their footrests, while others had worn out sections on the chairs. Now, with fully electric, cushioned and ergonomic chairs, patients can rest easier, making a long and vital medical routine a bit more bearable.
“Sometimes, it’s just good to fall asleep and wake up with it done,” Barb explains. “And these chairs make that possible.”
“The dialysis chair is one of the most important parts of a dialysis patient's treatment experience besides the nursing and medical care they receive,” says Lori Van Manen, Program Operational Director of Renal Services at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC). “Thank you to all the donors for their support. It is making a big difference, and we appreciate it.”
The Belleville Dialysis Clinic is part of KHSC’s Regional Renal Program that offers care to individuals with chronic kidney disease, including dialysis at the hub site in Kingston and in a number of satellite locations including Belleville, Picton, Napanee, Bancroft, Brockville, Perth, Smiths Falls and Moose Factory. These satellite clinics offer medically-stable patients the opportunity to receive care closer to home, relieving the additional burden of extensive travel and associated time and expense.
Jae Cheyne, a board member of the Trenton Memorial Hospital Foundation, emphasized the importance of supporting health care beyond Trenton’s hospital walls. “We recognized we have a significant number of members of our community that use the clinic. So we saw a role for us to play in helping ensure that they were made as comfortable as they could be,” he said.
The chairs are more than just furniture; they are a symbol of compassion and care. Barb sees them as proof of a community that looks out for one another.
“It’s just so amazing,” she says. “People reaching out to other people—that’s what we do here. Thanks to everyone who made this happen. It makes our lives easier.”
With each treatment session, patients like Barb can now find a little more comfort, a little more ease, and a little more gratitude, knowing that their community stands behind them.