Kramer pointed to the lessons on emergency preparedness from the scramble for dialysis care when facilities closed due to loss of power and flooding from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. We're not out of it, there's still much to do, but it does feel like we're on the back side of it and things are getting better.' 'It's really been an extraordinary 4 days. 'It's not just our staff it's the whole industry - the whole healthcare industry, but particularly the dialysis industry,' he told MedPage Today.
Renal Care Chief Operating Officer Andy Johnston, as the CMOs of the largest dialysis companies stay in close contact on disasters and it's routine for them to open up their clinics for patients from other sites in such circumstances. 'We're just kind of banding together and figuring out what needs to be done.' Other clinics too, are stepping up, she said, with some providing coupons for Lyft and Uber to get patients transportation to dialysis clinics. Jones-Smith pointed to some bright spots, like the group of eight clinics in San Antonio that brought water in and have been running around the clock to dialyze patients from any closed clinic regardless of affiliation.
