Emergencies, whether natural disasters, terrorist attacks, pandemics or others arrive quickly and often without warning. History teaches us that a lack of awareness and preparedness are common threads among all major disasters. Knowing your vulnerabilities and what actions you need to take can greatly reduce the effects of the disaster.

For people living with kidney disease and the facilities that provide life-sustaining treatment to these patients, planning for emergencies and disasters can be the difference between life and death.

This website contains resources for individuals and facilities planning for an emergency or disaster. During a disaster we provide the following services:

• Assist patients and facilities in identifying dialysis facilities that can provide ESRD services
• Coordinate with providers and emergency workers to ensure patient access to dialysis.
• Track and make available the open and closed status of dialysis facilities in affected areas.
• Assist family members and treating facilities in determining the dialysis location of displaced patients in order to exchange critical medical information.

To determine the “open” or “closed” status of a dialysis facility in an impacted area and the services being provided, or to get to a map showing the nearest open facility in the event of an emergency or disaster, go to http://dialysisunits.com.

If the Network 8 office is closed for an extended period due to an emergency event, another ESRD Network will be designated to assist you.