Free Emergency Kits and Education offered to People with Kidney Disease in Missouri

MOBERLY, Mo. - May 9, 2013 - PRLog -- Throughout May, Dialysis Clinic Inc., one of Mid-Missouri largest providers of dialysis for patients with kidney failure, will host a series of emergency preparedness educational sessions and provide free emergency preparedness kits for people with all stages of kidney disease.

The following events are taking place around Missouri:

·      On Saturday, May 11th in Moberly, MO at 9am at the Randolph County Health Department

·      On Saturday, May 11th in Columbia, MO at 2pm at the Boone Electric Cooperative Community room

·      On Saturday, May 11th in Louisiana, MO at 9:30am at the Pike County Memorial Hospital Conference room

·      On Saturday, May 18th in Mexico, MO at 2pm at the American Red Cross

·      On Sunday, May 26th in Kirksville, MO at 1pm at the Adair County Health Department.

With the return of springtime and its associated tornado season, most Missouri residents are mindful of the Joplin experience.  The power of the Joplin storm and the destruction it produced are a reminder of the value of having an emergency preparedness plan-----Where would we go?  How would we get the supplies we need? Who could we count on for help? ---those questions are applicable to everyone but for citizens with chronic illness or disability, they take on a special meaning, and urgency.

For people with chronic kidney disease, the value of an emergency preparedness plan is crucial because, depending on the stage of their disease, access to treatment, medicines, or a disease-appropriate diet might mean the difference between surviving a disaster---or not.

“The National Kidney Foundation reports that 1 in 3 Americans are at increased risk for developing kidney disease”, says Angie Crowder, DCI Social Worker and coordinator of the educational event in Mid-Missouri.  “It’s well established that an emergency like the Joplin tornado substantially disrupts the normal routine of the entire population and for patients with kidney disease, that disruption could cause their kidney disease to worsen very quickly and become a major threat to their life and health.”

“Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of kidney failure and fortunately, those conditions can be somewhat controlled by medications and proper diet,” Crowder continued.  “But think about what happens in an emergency when that individual may not have their medications, perhaps their prescription needs to be refilled, or they don’t have access to the renal-friendly diet that helps maintain their limited kidney function.  This is an educational event to help patients and families prepare for those kinds of emergencies.”

In addition to the educational session on preparing for emergencies, the DCI team will distribute emergency preparedness sample kits.  These kits contain some of the items beneficial to a kidney patient in an emergency situation, including a flashlight, emergency blanket, kidney-appropriate food, a first-aid kit, and a guide for more comprehensive emergency planning.  The kits are free of charge to members of the general population who have some form of kidney disease.  There is also no charge for the educational session. Kits will be made available on a first come, first served basis until supplies run out.

For more information about the emergency preparedness education and kits, Angie Crowder, project coordinator, can be reached at 660-263-161.

More information is available at www.dciinc.org/purposeproject.php.