Disaster Preparedness and Response
It is important to be aware that disasters can take on many forms and can strike at any time. Although nothing can prepare us for every possible problem, we should all do our best to be as prepared as we can be. This page offers resources and information on preparing for emergencies.
As emergencies occur, you may have questions or may be in need of information. Please review this information, and if you have any questions you should contact the Network office: (412) 325-2250.
Crush Injuries Can Be Deceptively Dangerous
by Madison Park, CNN -- http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/21/haiti.rhabdomyolysis.crush.injury/?hpt=C1
January 21, 2010 2:25 p.m. EST
This article explains how crush injuries to muscle tissue affect your kidneys.
Kidney Community Emergency Response Coalition (KCER) Resources for Influenza Season
KCER provides free disaster preparedness education and tools for the kidney dialysis and transplant community. For the H1N1 flu, End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) facilities and patients should follow guidance from their dialysis provider, local ESRD Network, and general precautions issued from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local government agencies.
During the upcoming flu season, there are some specific resources on the (KCER website) that you may want to review and consider using at your dialysis facility. Please also remember the importance of the seasonal flu vaccine for dialysis patients and health care workers. Most, if not all, dialysis patients should strive to receive two flu vaccines this year -- Seasonal and H1N1.
There are many H1N1 resources at the KCER website, including ones from OSHA and the CDC: http://www.kcercoalition.com/pandemic.htm
Here are a few the KCER suggests you start with:
1. Pandemic flu planning checklist for patients and families
2. Cover your cough poster for health care settings
3. Recommendations for developing a dialysis facility pandemic flu planning checklist
4. H1N1 resource kit (also at http://www.flu.gov/h1n1/resourcekit.html
5. reimbursement for the H1N1 vaccine
You can also sign up to receive e-alerts from the CDC on the status of the H1N1 flu: http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
The KCER encourages you to stay informed this flu season!
September is National Preparedness Month -- How Prepared Are You? -- The Kidney Community Emergency Response Coalition (KCER) is a proud sponsor of National Preparedness Month (NPM). To find more about NPM, visit www.ready.gov.
The KCER READY program is a self-assessment that can assist your facility or organization in completing necessary planning activities in order to provide the highest quality patient care. The actions you take can save lives and create a safer working environment for your staff and patients. Take the KCER READY QUIZ to test how prepared you are in disaster planning, patient education, staff education and other critical areas. A certificate will be issued via email if you correctly answer all ten questions.
National Emergency Preparedness Education Week for Kidney Patients -- Are YOUR patients ready? -- September 13-19, 2009 -- Poster Available for display in your facility.
"Where can a patient get assistance in obtaining dialysis services?"
There are several dialysis corporations that are known to provide dialysis services to over 80 percent of the overall dialysis patient population. Each organization has emergency procedures in place to assist patients in obtaining dialysis services and can often assist with locating transportation services for dialysis, obtaining dialysis supplies, and obtaining renal medications. It is advisable that patients contact the organization where their traditional facility was affiliated because they will be able to access information from their medical record. However, if a patient is unsure of the affiliation, or was receiving services from an independent facility, they can contact any organization and will receive the same level of service.
There are also several community and federal based organizations that may help as well.
1.) To encourage provider preparedness for an emergency/disaster, the Network will:
- Provide assistance in development of facility emergency plans.
- Provide Educational Materials, tools, and resources.
- Develop an internal preparedness plan to ensure continuity of Netowrk services if operations experience an emergency.
2.) During an emergency/disaster the Network will:
- Disseminate central contact numbers for dialysis providers in the affected areas.
- Assist patients in contacting dialysis providers to arrange treatment.
- Track and make available to the public the open and closed status of the facilities in the affected area.
- As directed and/or permitted by CMS, provide information to family members and treating facilities on where a patient previously/currently is receiving services to assist in the location of individuals and the exchange of critical medical information.
- As necessary, participate in national/regional calls with providers, emergency workers, and other essential persons.
- As appropriate, coordinate activities with providers and other emergency workers to ensure access to dialysis
3.) To ensure maximum preparedness for an emergency/disaster, the provider will:
- Develop a facility disaster plan and review it annually with staff, patients and patient's family.
- Designate a Disaster Coordinator and Backup who will be the "point person" for communication.
- Provide each patient with an Emergency Data Set in case they are displaced and require therapy.
4.) During an emergnecy/disaster the provider MUST:
- Notify Network 4 of your facility open or closed status follow a disaster event. Go to www.dialysisunits.com to determine the "open" or "closed" status of a dialysis facility in an impacted area and the services being provided, or to get a map showing the nearest open facility in the event of an emergency or disaster.
- Use the Disaster Patient Activity Report (DPAR) to report patient movement, including transient patients dialyzing in your unit.
Network 4 is a member of the national Kidney Community Emergency Response Coalition (KCER) which was established to provider technical assistance to ESRD Networks, CMS organizations, and other groups to ensure timely and efficient emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. Refter to their website www.kcercoalition.com for tools and resources.
ESRD Network 4 Disaster Preparedness Booklet for Patients
Network 4 Emergency Preparedness Resource Booklet for Pennsylvania and Delaware Patients, Fourth Edition (format: PDF, size: 345 kb)This document is an excellent resource for patients in the event of an emergency. This is the fourth edition; posted in January 2011 to our website. It is formatted to print front-to-back on any standard photocopier or printer. We hope that you will find this information useful, and please contact the Network office if you would like to share any information regarding emergency preparedness that you feel would be of benefit to the rest of the community.
ESRD Network 4 Disaster Preparedness Booklet for Facilities
ESRD Network 4 Emergency Preparedness Resource Booklet for Facilities in Pennsylvania and Delaware, Fourth Edition (format: PDF, size: 306 kb)This document is an excellent resource for dialysis facilities. Much like the patient's guide, it details some of the steps to consider to prepare for disasters. This is the fourth edition; posted in March 2011 to our website. It is formatted to print front-to-back on any standard photocopier or printer. We hope that you will find this information useful, and please contact the Network office if you would like to share any information regarding emergency preparedness that you feel would be of benefit to the rest of the community.
Medicare Publication -- "Preparing for Emergencies: A Guide for People on Dialysis"
Medicare Publication -- Preparing for Emergencies: A Guide for People on Dialysis (external link, format: PDF, size: 144 kb)The hyperlink above will take you to a Medicare publication located outside the Network's website. Please let us know if the link doesn't work. Like what the title says, this is a guide for people on dailysis.
Pandemic Flu Preparedness
It is critical that we all consider the impact that a Pandemic Flu Outbreak may have on our patient population. The following links contain information from the CDC and from the state Departments of Health for Pennsylvania and Delaware.
