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Dialysis providers prepare for impact of Hurricane Dorian
Florida, a state with a high number of patients on dialysis, is bracing for the impact of Hurricane Dorian, which is expected to do its heaviest damage to the state’s coastal areas this week.
The National Weather Center reported Tuesday that the storm is growing in size and new warnings and watches have been posted for the coasts of South Carolina and North Carolina. Various other hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings remain in effect for parts of coastal Georgia and the eastern Florida Peninsula.
Dorian now has a maximum sustained wind of 110 mph, making it a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, the National Weather Center reported. “The flash flood threat will increase today and tonight along the Florida peninsula, then spread up the southwest and mid-Atlantic coast during the middle and latter part of the week,” the center said in an advisory issued Tuesday.
DaVita Kidney Care and Fresenius Kidney Care announced Aug. 30 they had activated their emergency response plans across Florida in preparation for the storm’s arrival.
“Our key focus is proactively treating as many patients as we can over the weekend,” Kenny Gardner, DaVita group vice president, said in a statement. “It’s critical that we help patients prepare for the possibility that access to treatment may be impacted in the days after Dorian makes landfall.”
That includes nearly 20,000 Florida patients across more than 200 DaVita centers statewide.
“Natural disasters pose a severe threat to vulnerable populations, like those who depend on life-sustaining dialysis care,” Bob Loeper, vice president for operations support and business continuity at Fresenius Medical Care (FMCNA), said in a statement released Aug. 30. “Our patients and their safety are our first priority. We are committed to ensuring that every person in need of dialysis in regions impacted by disaster – regardless of whether they are FMCNA patients or not – receive care.”
Like DaVita, Fresenius staff dialyzed patients prior to the storm. Patients have also been given emergency kits and instructions for touching base with their care teams during and after the storm and for securing treatment should their normal clinic be severely damaged, Fresenius said in a statement.
The company has brought in gasoline, diesel, generators, trucks, water and supplies and is testing generators, securing facilities and sandbagging where necessary, Fresenius said. For patients who typically administer their own dialysis treatment at home, staff are prepared to deliver necessary supplies and check in as needed.
DaVita said it has also been providing patients with relevant medical information (prescription, dietary instructions and fluid restrictions) should they need to dialyze at a different center. The provider has also been communicating evacuation information with patients and coordinating with other dialysis and health care providers to help ensure continuity of care for all patients.
“DaVita will help track where patients will be transferred and hold regularly scheduled check-ins with local teams to help coordinate the safety of those who are impacted,” the company said.
Additional resources for patients include the following:
- blogs.davita.com/emergency-management for information on center openings;
- DaVita Guest Services at 800-400-8331 for help locating dialysis centers and scheduling treatment; and
- Fresenius Kidney Care’s 24-hour toll-free patient emergency hotline is 800-626-1297.
References:
https://fmcna.com/news/fresenius-medical-care-north-america-activates-emergency-respons/
www.nhc.noaa.gov/