Utah State Correctional Facility has moved dialysis for six incarcerated kidney‑failure patients from the University of Utah Hospital to a new on‑site clinic. the shift, completed in September 2025, eliminates costly transports and tightens security while delivering care inside prison walls.

Five $40,000‑$50,000 dialysis machines installed in 2025

The prison purchased five dialysis units, each costing between $40,000 and $50,000, to create a dedicated treatment room. According to the report, the machines were installed after a brief pilot in 2007 was discontinued, marking a renewed commitment to in‑house haelth services.

Annual $525,000 taxpayer savings from in‑house treatment

Tracy Gruber, commissioner of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, said the new clinic is projected to save more than $525,000 each year. The savings stem largely from cutting the $558 per‑session transport and external care expenses that the state previously incurred.

Transport costs of $558 per session drove the change

Dr. marc Wisron, division director of Utah Correctional Health Services, explained that each off‑site dialysis session cost $558 per inmate, covering personnel, vehicle use and hospital fees. with six patients receiving treatment three times weekly, those costs added up quickly, prompting the shift to an internal solution.

Security and staffing relief from ending off‑site trips

Moving dialysis inside the prison reduces the need for two officers to escort each inmate, a practice that strained staffing and posed escape risks.. The report notes that the previous schedule required early‑morning strip searches and lengthy trips that could last up to nine hours round‑trip.

Will the program expand beyond six patients?

The article does not state whether the Utah Department of Health plans to add more dialysis slots, leaving open the question of capacity for future inmates with kidney disease. As of now, only six prisoners benefit from the service, and no timeline for expansion was provided.