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When you or someone you love is living with kidney disease, our team at Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) is here to help.
The kidneys are your body’s filters removing waste and extra fluid from your blood. Kidney disease, also called chronic kidney disease (CKD), is a serious, lifelong condition. It happens when your kidneys are not working as well as they should. With the right care and support, you can manage your health and live well.
WRHN is home to the Waterloo Wellington Regional Renal Program. We care for people across Waterloo Region and Wellington County at every stage of their kidney health journey. It is one of the largest renal programs in a community hospital in Ontario.
Whether you recently learned you have kidney disease or are in ongoing treatment, our team will work with you to build a care plan that fits your life. The services we offer include:
Care is available at four locations, including two partner hospitals, and we also support care at home.
As a regional program and part of the Ontario Renal Network, we work closely with hospitals and partners across the region. Together, we make sure you receive safe, connected care.
Dialysis is a treatment that helps clean your blood when your kidneys are not working properly. WRHN offers two types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
Hemodialysis cleans your blood using a machine. It is usually done three to five times a week, either at a dialysis unit or at home. A needle is placed in a blood vessel in your arm during each treatment.
Peritoneal dialysis is a daily treatment you can do at home. It uses a soft tube placed in your abdomen to fill and drain a special fluid that filters your blood.
Your care team will help you choose the type of dialysis that best fits your needs and lifestyle.
If you need dialysis at WRHN, our hemodialysis teams are here to support you. We care for patients staying in the hospital and those coming in just for treatment.
Most people come for dialysis three times a week, and each visit lasts about four hours. Your care team will work with you to create a schedule that meets your needs.
Home hemodialysis lets you manage kidney disease from the comfort of your home. It is often gentler on your body than other treatments and works more like your kidneys do. Home hemodialysis also gives you more freedom and control over your treatment.
Before you start, you will get training with a nurse who will teach you how to use the dialysis machine. You and your care team will set your training schedule together. Training usually takes five to six weeks.
Our team is here to support you, so you feel safe, confident, and ready to do dialysis at home. During your training, the team will share the phone number you should call if you need help with dialysis at home. You will be able to reach our team 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Peritoneal dialysis is another option for doing dialysis at home. It is a simple and flexible way to manage kidney disease without needing to travel to the hospital several times a week.
Our team will teach you how to do peritoneal dialysis safely. You and your training nurse will work together to set a schedule that fits your needs. Training usually lasts about one week.
If you ever need help, our team is here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Your team will teach you how you can get support at home during your training.
The renal clinics at WRHN help patients take care of their kidneys and learn how to slow down the advance of kidney disease. Our team also educates and supports patients through their kidney disease journey. If a patient needs dialysis, we help them understand their options and make decisions about their care. We can also organize assessments and referrals for someone who needs a kidney transplant.
A kidney transplant is often the best treatment for people with kidney disease. It can help you live longer and feel better than dialysis. A transplant means getting a healthy kidney from a donor to replace the kidney that is not working well.
Kidney transplant referral centres help you get ready for a kidney transplant. The WRHN Renal Program is a kidney transplant referral centre for Waterloo Wellington. At the referral centre, our team will:
Talk to your care team to learn more about kidney transplants and to see if it might be the right option for you. Our team is here to support you through each step of the process and help you prepare for what comes next.
Patients, families, and caregivers come together as a part of the renal Patient and Family Advisory Council to make kidney care at WRHN better. They share their experiences and ideas to help improve programs, remove barriers, and offer services that work for everyone.
Providing care for kidney disease takes careful planning and teamwork. Our program follows a strategic plan that helps guide how we improve care, support patients, and work with partners across the region.
We also follow the Ontario Renal Plan, a roadmap for the province that helps kidney care providers work together to find kidney disease earlier, slow it down, and improve patients’ quality of life.
WRHN @ Midtown
Phone: 519-749-4300
Extensions:
2628 for dialysis
3926 for home hemodialysis
2189 for the kidney outpatient clinics
5128 for peritoneal dialysis
WRHN @ Chicopee
Phone: 519-749-4300, ext. 7400
Address: 73 Delhi St., Guelph, Ont. N1E 6L9
Phone: 519-749-4300
Extensions:
3642 for dialysis
3600 for the kidney outpatient clinic
5128 for peritoneal dialysis
Address: 500 Whites Rd., Palmerston, Ont. N0G 2P0
Phone: 519-417-4050
