Busy Hurricane Season Predicted

Main Category: Aid / Disasters
Article Date: 23 May 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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With weather forecasters calling for an above average hurricane season, Fresenius Medical Care North America, operator of the nation's leading network of dialysis clinics, is urging all kidney failure patients to plan for a hurricane or other disaster.

About 26 million people in the United States have kidney disease, according to the National Kidney Foundation, and more than 360,000 of them are on dialysis. These patients represent one of the most vulnerable segments of the population during a natural disaster. They typically need dialysis every two days; when storms disrupt electrical power or make routine travel to treatments impractical, any substantial delay in dialysis care can be life-threatening.

"People on dialysis need it to live. With hurricane season approaching, this is a good time to make sure they have backup plans in case a disaster strikes," said Bill Numbers, Vice President of Operations Support and Incident Commander for Disaster Response and Planning at Fresenius Medical Care. "Dialysis patients should prepare to be self-sufficient for three days - including having enough food, water and medicine. And they should know where to find dialysis care in the event of a disaster."

Fresenius Medical Care offers Five Disaster Preparedness Tips for Dialysis Patients:

1. Keep your emergency phone numbers handy.

- During a large disaster, the 24-hour hotline is activated and staffed by Fresenius Medical Care dialysis service specialists who can answer questions and direct all dialysis patients and their families to the nearest open clinic during an emergency.

2. Carry your up-to-date personal information with you at all times (ID, medication and allergy lists, insurance, emergency contact information, type of dialysis treatment).

3. Talk to your doctor and family about your evacuation plan - what you should do and where you should go if a disaster strikes. Keep track of local weather forecasts.

4. Create a disaster kit with emergency supplies and at least one extra three-day supply of medicines. Many patients find it convenient to keep medicines and medical supplies in an easy-to-carry fanny pack or backpack.

5. Store a three-day supply of food based on your emergency meal plan. Begin this special diet plan as soon as a disaster is predicted or occurs and remain on it until you receive dialysis treatment. Limit fluid intake to two cups per 24 hours and avoid fresh fruit or vegetables.

Hurricane season begins June 1, and ends Nov. 30.

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's U.S.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Fresenius Medical Care's U.S.. "Busy Hurricane Season Predicted." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 23 May. 2008. Web.
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