LBJ steps up with Hope Dialysis closing its doors, July 1

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The LBJ Tropical Medical Center announced last Friday, June 28, that it can take on all Hope Dialysis patients due to the privately owned facility closing its doors, Monday, July 1, 2024.

In a LBJ press release, dated Friday, June 28, 2024, and signed by Dr. Akapusi Ledua, LBJ CEO, the following was announced:

ATTENTION: HOPE DIALYSIS PATIENTS

The LBJ Tropical Medical Center would like to inform all Hope Dialysis patients to please report to LBJ this weekend to conduct blood tests necessary to transition Dialysis treatment from Hope Dialysis to the LBJ Dialysis clinic.

It is important for this to be done to avoid any disruption in Dialysis treatment following the closure of Hope Dialysis.

On Saturday, patients are asked to report to the LBJ CKD clinic for blood tests which will be open from 8 am to 4 pm.

On Sunday, patients are asked to report to the LBJ Dialysis clinic for blood test which will be open from 8 am to 4 pm.

Please call CKD Nurse Tutuila Thompson with any questions at 633-1222 x 1635.

Samoa News points out that the press release was not received until late Friday, June 28th, and suggests a call to Tutuila Thompson be made if you, one of Hope Dialysis patients, missed the Saturday and Sunday schedule.

HOPE DIALYSIS EMPLOYEES

HD employees in the same press release, were also asked to report to the LBJ Human Resources Office on Monday, July 1, 2024 to begin the process to transition to the LBJ Dialysis Unit. Updated licenses or credentials are required to be shown as part of the transition process.

BACKGROUND

John Wasko, one of the partners in Hope Dialysis (HD) told Samoa News on Friday, June 28th, in an email that the dialysis center’s doors close on July 1.

“Too bad,” he said in his brief email response to Samoa News queries. “Only fully CMS approved (no waivers) medical facility on island. 

“ASG refuses to contribute to Medicaid state plan.

“Health care not a priority in Pago Pago, American Samoa.”

(Samoa News assumes Wasko is referring to the 20% local match that HD says it needed to stay open in a letter it distributed to its patients/ clients.)

Faipule Larry Sanitoa was contacted by some of his constituents about the issue, with one of them noting in an email, shared to Samoa News, of their deep concern over whether LBJ would accept Hope Dialysis clients/ patients, because of the “long waiting list” LBJ has for dialysis treatment.

In the same email, they also remarked of the burden placed on them as a family that HD had alleviated, i.e. the HD dialysis site location was in Tafuna, closer to their home and it did not involve early morning (1 am) hours for treatment nor long prep hours to get to the facility and also to come back home.

The email, in addition, explained that in a May 29th letter from HD, distributed to its patients/ clients, informed them of the possible closure date, June 30th, 2024, if HD was unable to secure the local match.

“…the 20% local match has been signed and approved by Honorable Governor Lemanu. However, it is currently pending approval from the Fono,” the caregiver wrote.

According to Faipule Sanitoa, the 20% match for HD was not discussed in the House during its last session, nor was a bill introduced to fund the HD 20% local match.

Samoa News notes that there has been no word of Gov. Lemanu P.S. Mauga approving the HD 20% local match, nor that any appropriation bill was sent to the Fono concerning the match.

Sanitoa reached out to the LBJ CEO who responded to the faipule in an email that he had been in discussion with Dr Letarte from Hope Dialysis 3- 4 months ago regarding his plan of providing dialysis services on island.

At the same time, Dr. Ledua wrote, “…our hospital senior leaders and I have been having discussions and plans on the Hope Dialysis closure and our dialysis service to accommodate all Hope Dialysis patients.”

He said the short -term solution to the closure of Hope Dialysis was outlined in a press release they was sent out last Friday to the media and it’s also on the LBJ website. He added that he was at the hospital on Saturday (June 29) and that the CKD clinic was open to all Hope Dialysis patients for blood tests to prepare them for dialysis.

Dr. Ledua further noted that “our dialysis unit has scheduled shifts to accommodate all the patients that were using Hope Dialysis.

“We have also prepared supplies to meet this need.”

The LBJ CEO in his email also gave a brief outline of the hospital’s long term plan for dialysis treatment in the territory.

He said that the hospital plans “to decentralize the dialysis service and bring this service out to the community rather than the hospital.”

This plan, Dr. Ledua said, includes acquiring Hope Dialysis and building dialysis units — in the East and in the West “as our satellite dialysis units”.

“The plan includes home dialysis service which about 20% of our dialysis population can have,” he added.