New nephrology practice offers expanded kidney care in Whatcom County

A new nephrology office is ramping up kidney care services in Bellingham.

Dr. Jimmy Thomas opened Washington Kidney Care at 200-410 Birchwood Avenue last November. Thomas has brought on Dr. Cyril Kuriakose and plans to add other providers as demand grows.

Washington Kidney Care provides an array of kidney care, from treating urinary tract infections to managing chronic kidney disease and hypertension. The clinic helps patients preserve kidney function, manage dialysis and prepare for kidney transplants, according to its website.

Thomas previously worked at Skagit Regional Health in Mount Vernon. After seeing his patients experience a long wait, he decided to expand his clinic and move it to Bellingham. Washington Kidney Care is a part of Renasolve Inc., a company that Thomas co-founded in late 2019 to bring nephrology services to rural health clinics.

Thomas trained at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Washington. His expertise is in acute kidney injury, kidney stones, chronic kidney disease, electrolyte/acid-based disorders, glomerulonephritis and renal replacement therapies. Kuriakose completed fellowships at Boston University and the University of Washington. His specialties are acute and chronic kidney diseases, dialysis modalities, hypertension and renal and pancreas transplantation.

It’s the kidneys’ job to keep everything functioning normally in the body by filtering blood and removing waste, Thomas said. At first, kidney disease is often asymptomatic until it progresses to the point where medical intervention is needed. Dialysis is the main source of treatment for failing kidneys before a patient is eligible for a transplant. Until then, a nephrologist’s job is to keep the kidneys functioning as much as possible.

“I want to assure them that we’re here. You don’t have to wait extraordinary lengths of time anymore,” Thomas said. “The other focus of our practice has always been to make sure that patients understand what they’re going through.”