(file photo)

Four Western New York hospital and health-related projects with a combined value of nearly $3 million received approval by state health officials this week.

The largest of the projects is a $1.9 million downtown dialysis clinic, which will anchor a Uniland Development facility planned for the former Frey the Wheelman site at 520 Ellicott St.

Bronx Dialysis Center hopes to open the 13-station chronic renal dialysis clinic, with plans to lease 7,500 square feet on the ground floor of a three-story office building just south of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The company is related to DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., one of the nation’s largest dialysis providers.

The project will meet a need for dialysis services in the downtown area, said Rob Aroesty, operations director for DaVita in the Buffalo area.

In the last few years, he pointed out, Buffalo General Medical Center transferred its dialysis beds over to the Erie County Medical Center campus, while a freestanding facility owned by another national firm closed its doors. Additionally, a DaVita-owned facility previously housed at Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital moved out to Tonawanda when the hospital shut down.

“All of the patients in the downtown area now have to go out of the city or to the suburbs to get treated, so we really felt there was an unmet need in the downtown area,” Aroesty said.

State officials turned the project around quickly: Plans were filed through the certificate of need system just weeks ago. Approval came in just three weeks, versus the typical six months, Aroesty said.

The timeline for the project will depend on Uniland’s plans at the site. Asbestos abatement will come soon, with demolition expected to follow by June. If all goes as planned, the site could be open in about 18 months, Aroesty said.

Tracey Drury covers health/medical, nonprofits and insurance

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