Our History

Northwest Kidney Centers was established in 1962 as the world’s first outpatient dialysis treatment center. We are grateful to have been a vital part of the health of the Puget Sound region for 50 years.

Christopher Blagg, MD, our former executive director, helps to tell the story of our remarkable beginnings in the video below.

Read more about our history:

• Timeline: 1960 to the present day
• Hemodialysis International: 50th anniversary of the opening of the world’s first out-of-hospital dialysis unit, January 8, 1962, an article by Christopher Blagg
• Hemodialysis International: First dialysis for chronic renal failure 50 years ago, an article by Christopher Blagg

Northwest Kidney Centers keeps people in the Seattle area alive with dialysis care, educates the public about kidney health, and collaborates with UW Medicine in the Kidney Research Institute. We are one of very few community-based, nonprofit dialysis providers in the country. Founded in 1962, ours was the first out-of-hospital dialysis program in the world and it is still a model in the field.