Carilion Clinic has filed a Certificate of Public Need application (COPN Request No. VA-8745) to bring kidney transplant services to Southwest Virginia through our flagship hospital, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital (CRMH). Currently, patients in our area must travel 2 hours or more for kidney transplant services. Additionally, a kidney transplant program would complement CRMH’s highly complex services (Level One Trauma Center, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 85 specialties) and align with Carilion’s focus on connected, convenient, collaborative care.
Based on current demographic data and community health assessments, it is obvious that Southwest Virginia residents with kidney failure lack adequate resources.
- Many patients live far from a transplant center, making it difficult to reach critical services. This results in long waitlist times and complicates care.
- The process of getting a kidney transplant begins long before the actual surgery, and care continues for the remainder of a transplant patient’s life. This process has physical, emotional and financial effects on patients, and their families and long-distance travel is an added stress.
- For 79% of kidney transplant patients in Southwest Virginia, accessing services they need requires a 2-4 hour drive.
- Our region expects the need for kidney transplants to increase by nearly 35% over the next five years.