In This July 2020 Issue

  • Hand Hygiene Tutorial Is Now Available in Spanish
  • Special COVID-19 Webex Recording Now Available Online
  • Helping Patients Stay Healthy for Kidney Transplantation
  • Tips for Successfully Applying for an Emergency Grant
  • Mark Your Calendar Events
  • KCER: Evacuating to a Public Shelter During COVID-19
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Patient and Family Engagement
Hand Hygiene Tutorial Is Now Available in Spanish

The response to the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires everyone to maintain proper hand hygiene practices. To give more patients access to this important hand hygiene information, the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) National Coordinating Center (NCC) recently translated the Test Your Hand Hygiene Knowledge Interactive Tutorial into Spanish. Ponga a Prueba Sus Conocimientos Sobre la Higiene de las Manos is posted to the ESRD NCC website. The tutorial shows proper hand hygiene and demonstrates the correct hand washing techniques — all at the dialysis facility. The tool is mobile-friendly and can be shared through text messaging.
Special COVID-19 Webex Recording Now Available Online

If you missed the recent Special COVID-19 Webex, Dialyzing Patients in Skilled Nursing Homes During COVID-19 , the recording is now available online. Speakers included Alice Hellebrand, Chief Nursing Officer of Dialyzer Direct; and LaKeisha Jones, Vice President of Clinical Services of Concerto Renal Services. They discussed the new structure for dialysis patients in nursing homes during COVID-19 and explained efficiencies in the communication process between dialysis companies and nursing homes.

The meeting recording, slides, and instructions on how to submit for one continuing education (CE) credit are on the ESRD NCC website at https://esrdncc.org/en/covid-19/covid-quickinars/ . Scroll down toward the bottom of the page and click on the Past Provider-focus Events menu. Have ideas from your service area for future topics for professionals or patients? Email us at [email protected] .
Helping Patients Stay Healthy for
Kidney Transplantation

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, people with kidney disease can still take steps toward receiving a transplant. Dialysis patients are urged to keep themselves healthy and tell their dialysis care team if there are changes to their health. The ESRD NCC created a new resource to help patients take care of themselves during the pandemic.

Share the 11 Things You Can Do to Get Ready for a Kidney Transplant During COVID-19 flyer with the dialysis facilities in your service area. The resource is also available in Spanish . Watch a video version of this resource and share with your caregiver, family, and friends!
Tips for Successfully Applying for an Emergency Grant

The COVID-19 pandemic has left many patients and families struggling to pay for medications, bills, and food. Many patients are reaching out to organizations that offer grants to help pay these costs. Grants come from a variety of sources, such as a foundation, corporation, or a government agency. The ESRD NCC gathered a list of organizations that offer patient and family grants to help cover the cost of healthcare, living, and school expenses. Many of these organizations require the patient to submit information, such as proof of income, household expenses, and list of family members and their contact information.

To help patients successfully apply for an emergency grant, the ESRD NCC created the Quick Start to Submitting an Emergency Grant Request . It helps take the mystery out of applying for grant. Visit https://esrdncc.org/en/patients/patient-grant-library/ for a list of grants and scholarships. You also can find tips for using the Internet and being safe online.

E-mail any comments about the Patient Grant Library or resources you think would be helpful for others to [email protected] .
Mark Your Calendar
July 1 – 31, UV Safety Month
July is ultra-violet (UV) Safety Awareness Month. The goal is to spread the word about how important it is to protect everyone’s skin from the harmful effects of UV rays . According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), UV radiation exposure is the root cause of most skin cancers. Here are tips from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs on how to minimize the risk that comes with sun exposure.

July 1 – 31, Sarcoma Awareness Month
Sarcoma is a rare, but deadly, form of cancer affecting connective tissues such as fat, muscle, blood vessels, nerve, bone, deep skin, and cartilage. There are roughly 15,000 new cases in the United States each year. Take a moment to learn how to support families and researchers with awareness of sarcoma by visiting www.curesarcoma.org/sarcoma-awareness-month .  

July 28, World Hepatitis Day
World Hepatitis Day (WHD) takes place every year on July 28. WHD raises awareness of the global problem of viral hepatitis. World Health Organization (WHO) data show an estimated 257 million people living with chronic hepatitis B and 71 million people living with chronic hepatitis C worldwide. Viral hepatitis causes more than 1 million deaths each year. Visit www.worldhepatitisday.org to learn more. 

August 1 – 31, National Immunization Awareness Month
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). This annual event highlights the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. Vaccines prevent serious, sometimes deadly, diseases. Visit https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niam/index.html for vaccine education tools and resources for patients and professionals.

August 9 – 15, National Health Center Week
National Health Center Week celebrates nearly 1,400 health centers that serve more than 28 million people. Health centers provide complete, high-quality preventive and primary healthcare to patients regardless of their ability to pay. Go to https://healthcenterweek.org/ to learn more about National Health Center Week.
Evacuating to a Public Shelter During COVID-19
A public shelter may be the only safe option for some people who have to evacuate during an emergency or disaster. Whether you are evacuating due to a wildfire, tornado, or hurricane, it is important to be prepared and take steps now to help protect yourself and others from COVID-19 .

  • Know a safe place to shelter and have several ways to receive weather alerts, such as National Weather Service (NWS) cell phone alerts, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio, or NWS Twitter alerts (@NWS).
  • Find out if your local public shelter is open in case you need to evacuate there. Your shelter location may be different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Follow guidance from your local officials on when and where to shelter.
  • Prepare a “Go-Kit” with personal items that you cannot do without during an emergency, if you need to evacuate. Make sure to include items that can help protect you and others from COVID-19, such as hand sanitizer, bar or liquid soap, and two cloth face coverings for each person. Face coverings should not be used by children under the age of 2. They also should not be used by people having trouble breathing, or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or unable to remove the mask without assistance.
  • Make a plan and prepare a disaster kit for your pets. Find out if your public shelter will accept pets. Typically, when shelters accommodate pets, the pets are housed in a separate area from people.

Don’t forget to ‘ Like’ the ESRD NCC on Facebook.
‘ Follow ’ us @ESRDNCC on Twitter.
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This material was prepared the End Stage Renal Disease National Coordinating Center (ESRD NCC) contractor, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy nor imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. FL-ESRD NCC-7N51TB-07092020-01