Flood damage forces Dothan dialysis clinic to move

The water that flooded Dothan streets nearly two months ago has forced one Dothan healthcare clinic to permanently change addresses.

Dialysis Clinic Inc. had to throw out much of its medical equipment after 4 feet of floodwater filled its building at 1546 E. Main St. on March 28.

Since the building is in a flood zone, DCI contacted the State Health Planning and Development Agency for a certificate of need to permanently relocate into a nearby building.

“In efforts to get the patients that had been dialyzing in this clinic back into a normal setting, we’ve been trying to open up at an old dyalisis clinic up the road from us,” said Amy Powell, a DCI social worker. “Normally, we’d have already had our CON in our facility that flooded and it would transfer, but because the state changed its guidelines, we had to go through the process again and had to show our intention and why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

In the meantime, patients who had been receiving treatment at DCI are now being treated at one of two Davita clinics in Dothan or other DCI clinics in the Wiregrass.

“Due to emergency situation, our doctois were given emergency privileges in the Davita clinics. There are some here, some in Arlington, some in Bainbridge, some in Chipley and the rest are in Enterprise and Eufaula,” Powell said.

Davita and DCI are competitors in the dialysis world, but Powell said Davita workers were understanding given the circumstances.

There is no timetable for when DCI can open at its new location, behind Dothan Hypertension-Nephrology Associates, because the cleanup and renovation process may be a lengthy one.

“It’s been unoccupied for over a year, and there are some state regulations we need to make sure we’re following,” Powell said. “We’re basically putting the water system in right now, because in a dialysis clinic, the water system is elaborate.”

Nurse manager Delora Hughes said the staff is hoping to have the new building open in four to six weeks, but the state has to inspect the building after DCI has made its repairs to make sure it is up to current standards.

Dialysis is a blood-filtering process used to treat people with chronic kidney failure. It is a life-sustaining treatment, according to Powell.