DaVita Prepares its Nearly 20,000 Florida Dialysis Patients for Hurricane Dorian

DaVita Kidney Care activated its emergency response plan across the state of Florida in preparation for Hurricane Dorian’s arrival. The dialysis provider is monitoring the storm’s progress as there is a greater amount of uncertainty noted in the long-term forecasts.

“Our key focus is proactively treating as many patients as we can over the weekend,” said Kenny Gardner, DaVita group vice president. “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.”

Before the storm hits, DaVita’s is working to proactively dialyze its nearly 20,000 Florida patients across more than 200 centers statewide. DaVita’s 4,000 local teammates have been providing patients with relevant medical information (prescription, dietary instructions and fluid restrictions) should they need to dialyze at a different center. DaVita has 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.

In the coming days, patients and their family members can visit blogs.davita.com/emergency-management for information on center openings during this emergency. Any dialysis patients may call DaVita Guest Services at 1-800-400-8331 for help locating dialysis centers and scheduling treatment, regardless of their regular provider. If in need of urgent medical care, dial 9-1-1.

Emergency Preparedness for People with Kidney Disease

Kidney patients on dialysis should add several items to their emergency kit that will help support their needs if an emergency happens. The kit should include the following:

• Emergency phone numbers for doctors and dialysis centers, including alternate nearby dialysis centers
• At least three days’ worth of any medicines needed as well as a list of medicines and the dosage amount
• For patients with diabetes, a week’s worth of supplies (syringes, insulin, alcohol wipes, glucose monitoring strips)
• At least three days’ worth of emergency food

Place these items in a container or bag that can be carried easily if evacuated or moved from home. Rotate the emergency kit’s stock to make sure supplies are not past their expiration dates.

For more information on emergency preparedness, visit https://www.davita.com/education/ckd-life/emergency-preparedness-for-people-with-kidney-disease.

https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/davita-prepares-its-nearly-20-000-florida-dialysis-patients-for-hurricane-dorian/