American Kidney Fund Announces Partnership with AdheaRx to Increase Real-Time Communication with Kidney Patients Affected by Disasters

ROCKVILLE, Md. (Oct. 31, 2022)  — The American Kidney Fund (AKF) today announced a new partnership with AdheaRx that will enable AKF to more quickly help patients displaced by disasters find treatment, as well as connect providers to patients they may be unable to reach.

When a natural disaster strikes, AdheaRx will deploy its AI-powered communication technology to reach AKF-served patients in affected areas with a message from AKF offering disaster relief resources and encouraging patients to share information about their needs in the wake of the disaster.

"Natural disasters and their aftermath can be terrifying experiences for people who rely on dialysis to stay alive," said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. "We are grateful to AdheaRx for partnering with us as we work to improve patient health and save lives."

People with kidney failure have demanding treatment regimens, requiring dialysis several times a week to clean their blood. Interruptions to their treatment schedule can cause dire health consequences. A recent study showed that patients on dialysis were more likely to die in the month following a hurricane compared with patients not exposed to these storms after adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic factors. Power failures, disruptions in water supply and transportation systems, patient displacement and hospital surges can all hamper patient access to dialysis. 

"AdheaRx helps patients and providers stay connected well beyond office visits," said Richard Sperry, CEO of AdheaRx. "We can use that same technology during a disaster to help patients check in with their providers and secure other services they may need. We are pleased to work with AKF to serve dialysis patients and ensure continuity of care during challenging times."

AKF's Disaster Relief Program is the nation's only rapid-response system that provides emergency financial assistance to dialysis and recent transplant patients. The program has provided financial assistance to kidney patients throughout all the major disasters that have struck the United States and its territories for the past two decades. Most recently, AKF activated its disaster relief program to provide emergency grants to dialysis and post-transplant patients impacted by Hurricane Ian in Florida.