February 17, 2025
St. Peter's Health is proud to announce the grand opening of its new $5M nephrology and dialysis clinic at the Regional Medical Center. Construction of this state-of-the-art facility, located on the west side of the hospital near the Emergency Room entrance, began in March 2024. Today, the clinic is fully operational, providing care to 40 patients. An open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Thursday, February 20, to celebrate this significant milestone.
The new clinic boasts ten advanced outpatient hemodialysis stations and cutting-edge equipment designed to deliver the highest quality care for patients with end-stage kidney failure. Additionally, the facility includes two spacious home therapy rooms, tailored to facilitate patient education and support for those who are eligible and wish to dialyze at home.
Helena resident Ben Juvan has been on dialysis at St. Peter’s for nearly five years after being diagnosed with kidney failure in May 2020. Ineligible for a kidney transplant, he spends about five hours a day, three days a week, dialyzing in the clinic—a procedure that removes waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys stop functioning properly. As one of the first patients to transition to the new space, he describes it as “beautiful” and “comforting.”
“It’s bright, wide-open, and the chairs in here are so comfortable,” said Juvan. “This is ‘it’ for me, you know? And I just find the space to be really relaxing. I’m especially happy for the nurses. You could not replace them with any amount of money in town.”
St. Peter’s is the only hospital-based dialysis program in Montana to offer specialized treatment plans that allow eligible patients to receive care in the comfort of their homes while awaiting an organ transplant. According to St. Peter’s Nephrologist and the unit’s Medical Director, Dr. Robert LaClair, St. Peter’s also leads the nation with nearly half of its patients managing their dialysis at home, compared to the national average of about 13%, and leads Montana in the most successful kidney transplants per capita.
“I am incredibly proud of our organization’s commitment to providing the highest quality care for our patients. Our goal is to make transplants a reality, allowing individuals to live their lives free from the constraints of dialysis,” said LaClair. “And until that rare opportunity comes along, providing this new, vibrant space where patients can spend up to 15 hours a week for treatment is a testament to that commitment. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the donors whose generosity has made this project a reality. Your support is invaluable in helping us continue our mission to improve lives."
St. Peter’s is deeply appreciative of the support from St. Peter’s Health Foundation donors who have been instrumental in funding the new clinic, including the “Greatest Need Fund” of the St. Peter’s Health Foundation and lead donors David J. Haviland Estate, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Otto Bremer Trust, Anonymous donor, Elizabeth Vercellin Dialysis Endowment, Nancy and William Pierce, Melanie and Robert LaClair, MD, Alice and Gary Luehr, Seligman Family in Memory of Jay Seligman, Dee and Mike Trombetta.
Project construction was managed by long-time partner Dick Anderson Construction, with designs curated by Slate Architecture.
