By Haley Mitchell Godwin

The impending closure of the Physicians Choice Dialysis (PCD) clinic in Luverne has left Crenshaw County dialysis patients and their families worried and facing uncertainty about future access to life-saving treatment. 

The clinic, set to administer the last treatments on Aug. 21, has been a critical resource for the community for several years. The closure will force patients to seek alternative care in towns 20 or more miles away.

For 79-year-old Tim Pierce of Centenary, news of the closure has been devastating. Pierce has been receiving dialysis at the Luverne clinic for over five years and requires treatments three times a week, with each session lasting around three hours. 

His wife, Linda, said the news took time to sink in.

“We don’t know the reason for the closure,” Linda said. “It’s the only dialysis center Tim has been to, other than when we were visiting our children in Ohio and Georgia, and we were blessed with a great facility and a wonderful team at Luverne. They all seemed like family. We will greatly miss them and the convenience the Luverne center offered.”

Tim had his first treatment at a Greenville clinic on Aug. 13, but according to Linda, the experience highlighted new challenges. While Tim had been able to drive himself to and from the Luverne center, Linda expressed concern that this may no longer be possible with the increased travel distance.

“People needing dialysis are already sick, and they need all the encouragement and assistance possible,” Linda said. “Unfortunately, in today’s world, it all boils down to the ‘mighty dollar.’ We have been blessed with a loving and wonderful family and both had occupations that we truly enjoyed. We looked forward to our retirement years, but health issues have greatly restricted our activities.”

The Luverne clinic opened in 2018 as a state-of-the-art, free-standing dialysis clinic offering hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and other acute services. The facility includes nine in-center hemodialysis stations and one PD/Home Hemo training station. 

David Sankey of Grady, received dialysis treatment at PCD Luverne from November 2019 until June of this year when he underwent a kidney transplant. Sankey expressed deep concern for those who will be affected by the closure.

“It was a huge blessing for the clinic to be brought to Luverne and a huge blessing that it was available when I needed it,” Sankey said. “I just think about the heartache and the strain it’s going to put on a lot of the patients and their families. I thank the Good Lord that I did not get sick with my dialysis. However, people sometimes do get very sick right after. Now that the clinic is closing, and people will have to travel, even if they are sick, it is just heartbreaking.”

Sankey said he also worries that some residents of Crenshaw County may simply have no way to get to treatment after Aug. 21.

Physicians Choice Dialysis, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Pennsylvania, describes itself as a “physician-focused operation” committed to providing quality dialysis care. The company has not provided a reason for the Luverne clinic’s closure and did not immediately respond to requests for a comment.