BEVERLY — The latest tenant of Beverly's 95th Street shopping district might offer a glimpse of the area's future.
Home Dialysis Services held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday afternoon at 2038 W. 95th St. It's the eighth location for the south suburban-based chain that trains patients to perform dialysis treatments at home.
Meanwhile, the owner of the former Borders bookstore at 2210 W. 95th St. remains in negotiations with a prominent medical provider who also operates a nearby hospital, Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) said.
"The potential [Borders] tenant is going through their due diligence," O'Shea said on Wednesday.
He spoke with both the building owner and the possible tenant last week. O'Shea said he left the conversations confident both sides will reach an agreement on a long-term lease.
The potential deal involves an investment of "several million dollars" and transforms the vacant retail building into a medical facility aimed at seniors. It could potentially open next year, O'Shea said.
With the likelihood for a pair of medical facilities just four blocks apart, O'Shea said there's an opportunity to create a medical row of sorts on 95th Street, O'Shea said.
After all, both Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park and Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn are also located nearby on the same busy street. And MetroSouth Medical Center is just 4.8 miles from the empty Borders in neighboring Blue Island, O'Shea said.
"We need satellite facilities," O'Shea said. "And frankly, we have too many vacancies to fill."
For it's part, Home Dialysis Service actually opened a couple of weeks ago, said Dr. Babajide Salako, chief executive officer of the company headquartered in Homer Glen.
The dialysis provider also partners with Kidney Care Center, an affiliate that provides doctors to monitor and recommend treatment options for patients suffering from kidney disease, Salako said.
Roughly two thirds of the patients serviced by Salako's companies require dialysis due to diabetes or hypertension. And Home Dialysis Services works with Little Company and Christ hospitals as well as Palos Community Hospital in Palos Heights in this regard.
"Our natural tendency is to go where our patients are," he said.
Salako aspires to someday become the biggest home dialysis provider in the country. Already, his company has offices in Kansas City, Tampa, Fla. and Hersey, Pa. The dialysis training center is also planning an expansion into Michigan, Salako said.
Meanwhile, the newest office in Beverly is suiting his company's needs quite well. In fact, it's already operating at full capacity, he said.
"We are happy to be here and hope to be here for a long, long time," Salako said.
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