Getting Care In Winter Conditions

Getting Care In Winter Conditions
January 11, 2011 3:28 PM
Karen Zatkulak
The snow not only cancels schools and business, but causes serious concern for patients needing serious medical care. Some treatments, like dialysis, just can't wait out the weather. Tuesday, we visited one that had to close their doors, and make special plans to provide the life saving treatment to patients.

55 year old David has to get 4 and a half hours of dialysis three times a week. It's a treatment he, and many others, need to stay alive, and one he almost couldn't get to today.

Gary Davis drives David to the dialysis scenter and waits while he gets the medication. He says for the first time in 14 years, he was nervous about getting to the clinic, because of the snowy roads. "It's a little bit scary to not be able to get him here because it is really important for him to be in the dialysis center."

It's patients, especially elderly ones, whose lives depend on digging out and getting to medical care during extreme winter weather. That's why the Cleveland facility opened on Sunday, offering dialysis a day before the storm struck. Clinic Manager Tawnia Thacker says, "It's extremely stressful, for us, because we know without it they are not going to survive."

Thacker says patients need the kidney treatment 3 times a week, no matter what. So even though they opened late Tuesday, they were there for the patients who need them. "So severe weather can truly be a life or death matter for our patients."

She says whenever big amounts of snowfall are in the forecast, she warns people with medical needs to plan for rides, and have emergency phone numbers ready. Because some simply can't stay snowed in. "They've got to be here, every minute counts."

Fresenious says they usually take care of about 32 patients a day. They say they may open late again tomorrow, but will be open.

Here are some tips Fresenius Medical Care Bradley sent out concerning winter weather.

Fresenius Medical Care Offers Tips to Help Dialysis Patients Stay Safe This Winter

Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the nation’s leading network of dialysis facilities, reminds dialysis patients to take precautions now so they are not caught off guard when severe weather hits in their home community.

FMCNA recommends that dialysis patients have the following plans in place:

- Keep your emergency phone numbers handy. When bad weather threatens, contact your local facility and follow instructions they may provide. FMCNA offers a patient hotline at 1-800-626-1297, for any FMCNA or non-FMCNA patients who need help finding the nearest open dialysis facility in a disaster. The hotline is staffed by customer service specialists who can provide locations and contact numbers for alternate facilities, if necessary.

- Have a disaster plan. Talk to your doctor, dialysis care team and family about your disaster plan — what you should do and where you should go if a disaster strikes. Keep track of local weather forecasts.

- Keep proper emergency supplies on hand. Have ready access to a first-aid kit, flashlight (with extra batteries), blankets, battery-powered radio, cell phone, non-electric can opener and any necessary medications.

- Make sure you have a ride. If you are an in-center patient, arrange for backup transportation to the clinic with a friend, neighbor or family member.

- Plan for power outages. If you are a home dialysis patient and you lose power, follow the directions given to you by the home training staff for continuing dialysis in an emergency.

- Adjust your insulin. If you are diabetic, ask your doctor how to adjust your insulin dosage during winter storm emergencies.

http://www.newschannel9.com/news/serious-997645-care-needing.html