March is Kidney Month!

Follow along as we reveal the impact of COVID-19 on chronic kidney disease (CKD) services in a four-part Q-and-A series with our Regional Nephrology team and patients.

As Scarborough Health Network (SHN) began to navigate the pandemic, it quickly become clear that those with kidney disease were particularly vulnerable to the disease. Our kidneys are responsible for removing waste and excess fluid from our bodies. Patients on dialysis treatment – which is a medical intervention to remove this waste and excess fluid – have less than 15 per cent kidney function.

It was critical for SHN’s life-saving dialysis programs to remain open for in-person appointments, when other outpatient clinics were able to pivot to online delivery models.

PART 1:
HEMODIALYSIS

Meet Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) Irina Segura. Irina has spent 10 of her 12 years at SHN supporting dialysis patients, currently working on the hemodialysis unit at SHN’s General Hospital. This unit is one of four clinics serving Scarborough and beyond, including a hemodialysis unit at Centenary Hospital and three at satellite locations in community settings.

PART 2:
HOME DIALYSIS

After years of suffering from chronic kidney disease, 61-year-old George Aprile started dialysis treatment at Scarborough Health Network in 2019. Since then, he’s learned how to perform treatments at home with the help of his wife, and like many others, unexpectedly learned how to navigate care with his nephrology team through a global pandemic.

PART 3:
INPATIENT
NEPHROLOGY

Dr. Tabo Sikaneta explains the importance of the life-sustaining nephrology program even during a pandemic, along with a personal reflection on his journey working in kidney care for 19 years.

PART 4:
MULTI-CARE
KIDNEY CLINIC

Mary Moolecherry shares her kidney story, how she navigated through the pandemic, and how she’s living her best life through education and support from SHN’s Multi-Care Kidney Clinic (MCKC).