The Mount Rainier Kidney Center is moving. Northwest Kidney Centers, which operates the facility, has been granted approval by the state of Washington to move in about a year to a new facility to better serve the increasing number of dialysis patients from South King County.

“The need for dialysis in South King County is growing by 6 to 7 percent per year,” said Northwest Kidney Centers president and CEO Joyce Jackson. “In the new center we will be able to accommodate additional patients who come for three-times-a-week dialysis treatments of about four hours each.”

The new center will be a 21,000-square-foot space located at 602 Oakesdale Ave. S.E., in Renton. This will replace the center at 4242 East Valley Road, which is only half as big as the new facility. It will house additional dialysis treatment stations and a new South King County hub to train patients to do self-dialysis at home if they wish.

“Self-treatment at home can improve patients’ lives because they can get dialysis daily, more like the natural function of healthy kidneys, in many cases while they are sleeping,” Jackson said. “With home dialysis people can carry on with their regular lives during the day.”

The current location has 28 stations to accommodate up to 168 patients. They hope to expand their capacity to accommodate up to 246 patients in the new facility. However, they must apply and wait for state approval once they reach at certain threshold of service.

With the new “state-of-the-art” home dialysis training hub at the center, they will have unlimited capacity to train at home care.

Jackson is also excited about additional space in the new center dedicated to teaching the community about kidney disease. A new room that can hold up to 35 people will lend itself to nutrition and educational classes. The disease affects one in seven American adults, up 30 percent in the last decade.

The cost for the project is estimated to be $4 million, for renovation, equipment and all associated costs. The center will have 41 to 45 staff members in the new building but will increase that number when it expands.

Services will not be interrupted, as patients have already been notified about the move. Tours will be offered and potentially a video made about the new center for viewing at the old center. NWKC will also work with Metro to coordinate transportation to the center.

Many patients from South King County currently travel to the Seattle Kidney Center at 15th and Cherry to learn how to do dialysis at home or for periodic check-ups. The new Renton facility will decrease travel time.