Welcome to the September Edition of
KCER Watch
In This Issue
 
  • National Preparedness Month

  • KCER Emergency Preparedness Week

  • Storm Surge Danger

  • Emergency Preparedness Planning for the Kidney Community

  • Rx Open is Ready to Help in the Event of an Emergency

  • Don't Be a Victim: Avoid Fraud After the Storm
View and Download Resources
Preparedness
SEPTEMBER IS
September kicks off National Preparedness Month! It's a time for all Americans to prepare for man-made and/or natural emergencies or disasters. Ready.gov has resources to help you get your emergency preparedness plan together.
Get Prepared! Visit https://www.ready.gov/september for details!
KCER Emergency Preparedness Week
Join the National KCER Patient and Family Engagement Learning and Action Network (N-KPFE-LAN) for the inaugural KCER Emergency Preparedness Week.

KCER Emergency Preparedness Week is September 23–27, 2019, and the N-KPFE-LAN patient and caregiver volunteers encourage you to share preparedness resources with patients and families, including the:

Hot Topics
Storm Surge Danger
The threat of a major hurricane hitting the United States isn’t over. Hurricane season runs until November 30, 2019. A hurricane can cause widespread damage. What is often not talked about is the danger of a storm surge. According to The National Hurricane Center, a storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane. Click on the link below for more information on the dangers of storm surges.  

Learn more at: http://bit.ly/33NOUEr 
Education/Communication
Emergency Preparedness Planning for
the Kidney Community
Emergency preparedness has three goals:

  1. Lessen the impact of disasters
  2. Save lives and property
  3. Return communities to normalcy as soon as possible

The KCER team held a webinar that addressed key concerns that ESRD stakeholders need to consider when making their emergency preparedness plan. Watch the recorded webinar at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzCTnv3uZlc&feature=youtu.be.
Rx Open is Ready to Help in the Event of an Emergency
There’s help for kidney patients who may need to fill a prescription after a natural disaster.
It’s called Rx Open , and it’s a service of Healthcare Ready .

Rx Open helps patients find nearby pharmacies in areas impacted by disasters .  When there is a disaster, the map is activated by Healthcare Ready, and you can search for pharmacies and/or Red Cross shelters in your area.

Find the map and additional information about Rx Open at: https://www.healthcareready.org/rxopen.
Don't Be a Victim: Avoid Fraud and Scams
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is warning people to be on alert for scammers after disasters or major emergencies. FEMA says criminals target people who have been affected by floods, wildfires, storms, and other disasters—cheating them out of money.

Click on the link below for tips to keep you safe from fraud.
What Patients Are Saying
What advice would you give to another patient to prepare for an emergency?
The 3-Day Emergency Kidney Diet checklist   is very actionable and it’s something all dialysis patients think about.
—Doris Lew
N-KPFE-LAN Patient Voluntee r
The items that would help patients and caregivers the most from the KCER website are the checklists, including the Emergency Preparedness Checklist and Tips handout. I also like the Patient Identification Card.
—Jacqueline Harris
N-KPFE-LAN Patient Voluntee r
If you are a kidney patient affected by a hurricane or other natural disaster, you can call the dialysis provider Patient Hotline.

Patient Hotlines
  • DaVita: 800.400.8331
  • Fresenius: 800.626.1297
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc. (DCI): 866.424.1990
  • DCI Donor Hotline/Transient Patients: 800.969.4438
  • American Renal Associates (ARA): 888.880.6867
  • Satellite: 800.367.8292
  • U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): 800.985.5990
  • U.S. Renal Care: 866.671.8772
  • Veteran Disaster Relief Hotline: 800.507.4571
Don’t forget to ‘ Like’ us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KCERCoalition.
‘ Follow’ us @KCERProgram on Twitter.
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This material was prepared the Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) 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-KCER-7K2T3A-08292019-01