Photo courtesy of Avea Marshall This spring, space at Avera Marshall’s Bruce Street campus was renovated to install a new water system for Avera Marshall’s dialysis unit. The project was made possible with the help of both grant funding and funds raised by the Avera Marshall Thrift Store.

MARSHALL — A project to update dialysis equipment at Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center is making progress, Avera Marshall spokespeople said this week.

A new water system being installed at the hospital’s dialysis unit will make the experience quieter and more comfortable for patients. The updates are also being made possible with the help of local funds raised by Avera Marshall’s Thrift Store.

“We’re tremendously excited by it, because it makes an improvement in the quality of life of patients and the community,” said Jim Hibdon, manager of the Avera Marshall Thrift store.

Space next to Avera Marshall’s dialysis unit at the Bruce Street campus was remodeled for the new water system. The new system will allow Avera Marshall to use less bulky equipment, and create a more comfortable environment for patients. The roughly $289,000 project is being funded with money raised through the Thrift Store in addition to a Minnesota Planning and Transition Grant of $37,263, Avera Marshall said.

“This upgrade to our dialysis unit is the latest in many improvements and expansions Avera Marshall has been able to accomplish over the years due to the work of volunteers at the Thrift Store and the generosity of community members who donate items to be sold there,” said Debbie Streier, Avera Marshall regional president and CEO.

Proceeds from sales at the Thrift Store come back to Avera Marshall to enhance local health care for area residents, Streier said. Over the years, funds have helped to support building projects like the Avera Cancer Institute and equipment purchases for 3-D mammography, fetal heart monitors, patient lifts, orthopedic surgery equipment, ventilators and more.

Dialysis is a medical treatment that helps people with kidney failure by filtering their blood. Avera Marshall opened its dialysis unit in 2018. A year later, the unit was expanded to help provide services six days a week.

“It’s a tremendous need for the community,” Hibdon said. Being able to make a concrete difference for people in the area was one of the reasons Thrift Store volunteers were excited to be able to help fund the new water system for the dialysis unit, he said.

Once the water system is installed, it will need to be tested and calibrated, said Avera Marshall communications partner Stacy Neubeck. However, the project is still planned to be completed this spring.