Fresenius Medical Care Continues To Reopen Dialysis Clinics After Ike

Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Also Included In: Blood / Hematology;  Public Health
Article Date: 22 Sep 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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A week after Hurricane Ike battered the Texas coast and left millions of people without electricity, Fresenius Medical Care North America has reopened nearly all of its dialysis facilities.

In the Houston area, 29 of 32 Fresenius dialysis clinics are now open to provide treatment to dialysis patients. For the state of Texas, 57 of the 62 clinics that closed in anticipation of Ike's landfall have reopened. Five clinics remain closed because of damage from wind or flooding or because public water does not meet standards for dialysis treatment. Patients have been accommodated at other Fresenius locations.

At all of its open facilities, Fresenius is accepting all patients in need of life-sustaining dialysis, including nearly 500 patients from other dialysis providers whose clinics have not yet reopened. Fresenius also treated patients during the storm.

"After a natural disaster like this, the goal of our plan is to restore our ability to treat patients on their normal schedule with the greatest urgency possible," said Bryan Lipinksi, president of Fresenius' Southwest Business Unit. "Because of the critical nature of the care we deliver, we pre-plan for these events and have resources in place to get clinics back in service quickly, and to support our staff that stay in hard-hit areas to care for our patients."

"We had just gotten through Gustav when this storm hit. Our employees have been working tirelessly for the past few weeks to care for our patients," Lipinski added.

Since Sept. 13, Fresenius has sent in 50 employees from across the country who volunteered to help with staffing in Texas. The company anticipates rotating staff over the next six weeks. As it did after Hurricane Katrina, Fresenius has brought in campers and set up a village in northwest Houston where its employees can stay. The village provides food, electricity and running water.

In areas where there is still no electricity, Fresenius has relied on its emergency backup generators already in place at many of its clinics to safely keep the clinics operating. Another 13 generators have been sent to Texas to keep facilities running, along with 350 generators for employees whose own homes don't have electricity, so they can continue caring for patients. The company has also provided ice, drinking water and gasoline for its employees.

To date, Fresenius has handled about 1,000 calls from dialysis patients who are looking for open clinics. Some evacuated and needed to find a clinic in a new location, while others stayed through the storm and needed help afterward. Patients on dialysis typically need treatment every other day, but in some cases, patients had gone up to a week without treatment before coming to a Fresenius clinic.

"Initially, the patients are frightened because they know they're sick," Lipinski said. "But they have a great sense of relief when they find a Fresenius unit that is open and operating. After treatment, they feel a lot better and they know within a few weeks, things will be back to normal."

"In emergency situations such as this, we are very proud of our company's investment in preparation, and in how we are able to effectively deploy the resources that we can command as the world's leading provider of dialysis services. Our readiness is paying dividends for all dialysis patients," Lipinski said.

Any patient who needs dialysis can call the Fresenius Patient Disaster Hotline, 1 (800) 626-1297, which is activated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The hotline is open to anyone on dialysis - whether or not they are Fresenius patients.

About Fresenius Medical Care North America

Fresenius Medical Care North America is a subsidiary of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA, the world's largest integrated provider of products and services for individuals undergoing dialysis because of chronic kidney failure, a condition that affects more than 1,600,000 individuals worldwide. Through its network of 2,297 dialysis clinics in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa, Fresenius Medical Care provides dialysis treatment to approximately 177,059 patients around the globe. Fresenius Medical Care is also the world's leading provider of dialysis products such as hemodialysis machines, dialyzers and related disposable products. Fresenius Medical Care is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FME, FME3) and the New York Stock Exchange (FMS, FMS-p).

For more information about Fresenius Medical Care's U.S. network of more than 1,650 dialysis facilities, visit the Company's website at http://www.ultracare-dialysis.com. For more information about Fresenius Medical Care, visit the Company's websites: http://www.fmcna.com or http://www.fmc-ag.com.

Fresenius Medical Care