AUGUSTA (WGME) – The VA hospital at Togus is planning to close its dialysis center to outpatients because of a critical nursing shortage.

The chief of staff says it will only be temporary.

Barbara Wills says her husband, Vietnam Veteran Ronnie Wills, has gone to the VA dialysis center the past four years to filter his blood.

They just got a letter from the VA letting them know that because of an unforeseen staffing shortage, they soon won't be able to treat chronic dialysis patients.

"There's no reason that they couldn't have hired people months ago," daughter Christine Wills said. "With something as important as dialysis, they should have a functioning plan in place in case something like this happens."

Dr. Stephen Sears says three more dialysis nurses are leaving in the next two weeks.

"Which will leave us two short to safely provide the dialysis," Sears said.

He says they're now making arrangements for patients to continue treatments at a dialysis center in a nearby community, at no cost to them, but Barbara and Christine Wills fear that could jeopardize Ronnie's life.

"We're both worried about his safety," Barbara Wills said. "Sometimes in dialysis his blood pressure drops."

But Dr. Sears says the shortage of dialysis nurses will soon make it unsafe to treat veterans here.

"Their safety comes first. And if we can't do something in a way that we want to and safely, we think it is best to have them cared for outside of the VA at this point in time," Sears said.

The medical director says it will take time to hire the needed six to eight dialysis nurses. He hopes to reopen the dialysis center to outpatients in two or three months.