From Miracle to Mainstream: Creating the World's First Dialysis Organization: Early Years of Northwest Kidney Centers

In 1962, Seattle Artificial Kidney Center opened its doors as the world’s first outpatient dialysis organization. Over the years, its name changed, ultimately becoming Northwest Kidney Centers. But its mission stayed constant: to promote the optimal health, quality of life and independence of people with kidney disease.

From Miracle to Mainstream: creating the world’s first dialysis organization chronicles events leading up to and following that time—from medical experiments to the present, when more than two million people worldwide live with a once-terminal condition.

This fascinating journey includes the story of Clyde Shields, a critically ill husband and father, the first patient put on maintenance dialysis. His physician, Belding Scribner, MD of Seattle, used a Space Age material to solve an old medical problem and lengthen Shields’ life.

Author Christopher R. Blagg, MD traces the impact of Scribner’s invention on kidney treatment, government policy and medical ethics. Blagg spent 27 years as executive director of Northwest Kidney Centers, shaping treatment policies that now are standard worldwide.

Kidney dialysis is one of the greatest advances in the history of medicine. This is a story worthy of celebration, even as Northwest Kidney Centers looks to continuing innovations in kidney care.

Dr. Christopher R. Blagg has made significant contributions to dialysis therapy for more than fifty years. He trained as a physician in his native England and became interested in acute dialysis for patients whose kidneys were temporarily damaged. In 1963, he traveled to Seattle to learn about Dr. Belding Scribner's innovations in dialysis for people with permanent kidney failure. Blagg eventually spent 27 years as executive director of Northwest Kidney Centers, the dialysis organization Scribner had co-founded in Seattle. Blagg became known as an effective, tireless advocate for U.S. government policies in support of kidney patients as well as an international champion of home dialysis performed by patients themselves.