November 5, 2025

A Renal Renovation is on the Horizon

At St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, our nephrology (kidney) program cares for more than 3,000 patients living with kidney disease right here in Hamilton and across Brant, Norfolk, and Haldimand counties. For many patients, the care they receive here is life-saving. For all of them, it’s life-changing.

A Growing Need: Kidney Disease is on the Rise in Canada and Here in Hamilton

Kidney disease is on the rise in Canada. The number of Canadians living with end stage renal disease has increased by 29% since 2012. This explains why the demand for care here at St. Joe’s has increased dramatically, too. But the space where the kidney care clinics are located hasn’t been renovated for over 15 years, and it’s too small to accommodate the number of patients we care for today.

Delivering Dialysis to a Region of 1.4 Million People

Each year, across four locations St. Joe’s provides more than 85,000 life-saving hemodialysis treatments to patients whose kidneys no longer function well-enough on their own. In addition to the Dialysis Centres at our Charlton and King Campuses in Hamilton, St. Joe’s also operates the Dialysis Centre at Brantford General Hospital. And, to bring kidney care closer to home for patients Indigenous to Turtle Island, St. Joe’s partners with Six Nations of the Grand River to operate a satellite dialysis centre in the White Pines Wellness Clinic in Oshweken.

One of the Top Dialysis and Kidney Transplant Hospitals in Ontario

Based upon the number of dialysis patients in our program who have received kidney transplants, St. Joe’s is the number one kidney transplant Hospital in Ontario. We’re the first Hospital in Canada to perform a live-streamed kidney transplant, and every year we perform between 140 to 165 kidney transplants that give patients a new lease on life.

We Need More Space to Care for More Patients

Soon, we’ll begin to renovate nearly 15,000 square feet of space on the 4^th floor of the Marian Wing at the Charlton Campus to create a new home for the kidney care and transplant clinics. These programs include, but are not limited to, General Nephrology, Multi-Care Kidney Clinic, Glomerulonephritis, Conservative Renal Care, Hypertension, Renal Obstetrics, Transitional Care, Onco-nephrology, and Renal Genetics. We’ll create new, larger waiting areas and brighter clinical spaces that support the mental and physical health of patients and families, transplant donors and recipients. With more space, we’ll also integrate research and education with clinical care so that we can train the nephrologists of tomorrow, test new treatments, and discover how we can continue to improve the lives of those living with kidney disease.

Why We Need Your Help

This renovation project isn’t eligible for funding from the province, but we know it’s the right thing to do for the patients we serve, for the people who love them, and for our healthcare professionals who care for them, too. That’s why our Foundation is working with grateful patients and our generous community to raise $2.2 million to support this renovation project.

If you’d like to help or learn more contact Dana Visocchi Rice, Vice-President, Development via email at dana@stjoesfoundation.ca.