THIS WAS OUR 2ND SPEAKER AT THE MAQUOKETA ROTARY CLUB MEETING TODAY AT THE EAGLES CLUB, DR. V.R. ALLA, M.D. (NEPHROLOGIST), OF THE QUAD CITIES KIDNEY CENTER.   HE WAS THE GUEST OF ROTARIAN CURT COLEMAN, CEO OF THE JACKSON COUNTY REGIONAL HEALTH CENTER (HOSPITAL) HERE IN MAQUOKETA.

DR. ALLA HAS A TOTAL OF 10 KIDNEY DIALYSIS LOCATIONS IN THE AREA, INCLUDING THE NEWEST, AT MAQUOKTA'S HOSPITAL.     AFTER MAQUOKETA CLOSED THEIRS BECAUSE OF LOW NUMBERS LAST YEAR, HIS FIRM RENTED THE MAQUOKETA FACILITIES AND SPACE AT THE HOSPITAL AND RE-OPENED THE UNIT IN NOVEMBER.   WHEN THE UNIT CLOSED LAST YEAR, PATIENTS  MOVED TO  OTHER HOSPITALS AND SOME ARE NOW DRIVING A LONGER DISTANCE FOR THEIR  THREE-TIMES-A-WEEK

DIALYSIS, AND HOPEFULLY WILL COME BACK TO MAQUOKETA.         AT THE PRESENT TIME, THERE ARE 5 PATIENTS IN MAQUOKETA  AND DR. ALLA SAID MORE WILL BE NEEDED TO KEEP THE UNIT GOING, BUT HE IS IN NO HURRY TO ADD PATIENTS AND HOPES TO SEE HIS PATIENT NUMBER GROW GTADUALLY     IN MAQUOKETA.    I WAS IMPRESSED BY WHAT HE HAD TO SAY AND ABOUT  HIS FIRM AND  HOPE HIS LOCAL NUMBERS WILL INCREASE AS IT IS GOOD TO HAVE THE DIALYSIS CENTER BACK IN OPERATION AT OUR  HOSPITAL.   CLICK-ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT.   AND IF YOU KNOW OF SOMEONE THAT NEEDS KIDNEY DIALYSIS, BE SURE TO HAVE THEM CONSIDER USING THE JACKSON COUNTY REGIONAL HEALTH CENTER IN MAQUOKETA.     ANY QUESTIONS, CALL DR. ALLA AT EITHER 309-762-5570 OR 319-323-3300.

PHOTO BY DENNIS VOY