For the past several years, folks needing dialysis treatment had to travel off the island. Some went as far as Mountlake Terrace to receive their treatment.

That situation improved dramatically earlier this month when Puget Sound Kidney Centers opened a branch on Midway Boulevard in Oak Harbor.

“It’s the best location where we can serve the most patients,” said Harold Kelly, president and CEO of the Puget Sound Kidney Centers, which is based in Everett.

The Oak Harbor location features four stations that can accommodate a maximum of 24 patients. Kidney dialysis helps sustain life for patients diagnosed with end stage renal failure. Patients have to travel to clinics three to four times a week. Each treatment lasts three to four hours.

Approximately 15 people have been getting treatment in Oak Harbor since the clinic opened at the beginning of the month. Kelly said that number should increase soon.

The return of dialysis service is a welcome addition to health services on the island.

“It’s a big help to patients on dialysis. I’m glad it’s back on the island,” said Scott Rhine, CEO of Whidbey General Hospital.

Patients at the Kidney Center appreciate the facility.

Oak Harbor resident Gloria Kersh has been receiving treatment three times a week for the past six years. Before the new facility opened, she would leave on a bus at 6:45 a.m. to the Clinton ferry and then take another bus to the Puget Sound Kidney Centers’ Mountlake Terrace facility. She often wouldn’t return home until after 6 p.m.

She appreciates the convenience an Oak Harbor facility offers.

“Everybody is happy for me,” Kersh said.

Clinton resident Jerry Dunham would undergo four hours of travel to get his treatments in Mountlake Terrace, said his wife, Charlis.

Whidbey Island has been without dialysis services since the Kidney Center closed its Clinton location in mid-2003. It had to close because the drainfield failed and Whidbey General Hospital, which owned the building, didn’t want to pay for a new drainfield in a location susceptible to failure.

Since the facility closed, Puget Sound Kidney Centers has been looking for an alternative location on the island.

The business considered a location in Coupeville, however expensive hookup costs eliminated the town from consideration.

The site in Oak Harbor provided a place to accommodate the Kidney Center and provide a location to serve its clients.

“We found a great spot for our clients. It’s real convenient for them,” Kelly said.