During long, lovely days of summer, no one wants to think about the coming fire or hurricane season. But, in many parts of the county, severe weather events are more and more common.
People living on dialysis have special needs and considerations when it comes to emergency preparedness. With some planning upfront, you will enjoy peace of mind knowing that you’ve done everything possible to safely make it through an earthquake, fire, hurricane, winter storm, or flood.
If you have dialysis in a center:
- Keep a list of dialysis centers in your area which could be used in case of an emergency when your center is closed, include addresses and phone numbers.
- Each year, your care team will review with you emergency procedures should an incident happen during your treatment. Pay close attention to what you should do and, during an emergency, calmly follow instructions of your care team.
- During an emergency, your center may not be able to open if the power or water is out. Call your center before traveling to your appointment. If you cannot reach your center, call the Satellite Healthcare Patient Comment and Disaster Hotline: 800.367.8292.
If you have dialysis at home:
- Consider installing an emergency generator to use for treatments if your home is without power.
- Have an extra week’s worth of supplies always on hand in case an emergency happens.
- For those on home automatic/machine peritoneal dialysis, have a week’s worth of manual exchange supplies.
For everyone, prepare for an emergency by:
- Having a 2-week supply of your medications.
- Have a 2-week supply of emergency food. Ask your kidney dietitian for more information.
- Keep a supply of clean water, but drink very little if you are unable to dialyze.
- Keep an updated list of phone numbers of family and friends on paper in case you don’t have access to your mobile phone.
- Consider buying a portable power supply or power bank to keep your phone working if the power is out for a few days.
Having a detailed disaster plan is important for everyone, but especially important for people living on dialysis. Get more tips on how to be bad weather ready on the Satellite Healthcare website or ask your care team for more information.
