American Kidney Fund Mobilizes Disaster Relief Program to Support Dialysis and Post-Transplant Patients in Texas Winter Storm Crisis

ROCKVILLE, Md. (February 19, 2021) -- The American Kidney Fund (AKF) is mobilizing to help dialysis and post-transplant patients in Texas who are facing an extreme crisis as a result of power outages and overwhelmed and frozen water systems in the state. AKF has activated its Disaster Relief Program to provide emergency funds to help kidney patients affected by the winter storm. AKF's Disaster Relief Program is the nation's only rapid-response system that provides emergency financial assistance to dialysis and recent transplant patients.

Texas dialysis and recent kidney transplant patients who need emergency financial help should contact a social worker at their dialysis clinic for information on applying for aid, or submit an application directly at gms.KidneyFund.org.

"This is an extreme crisis for people with kidney failure in Texas," said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF president and CEO. "We are hearing from patients that they have been going without dialysis due to the severity of the storm and the power outages. Finding water is a huge issue for many. Patients whose homes are freezing are being forced to find alternative shelter. Patients who must adhere to the very strict renal diet have lost their foods because of power outages. Home hemodialysis patients who do not have an alternative power source or access to water are unable to perform their treatments. AKF has activated its Disaster Relief Program, and we are calling on state and federal leaders to do everything possible to mobilize assistance and support for Texas kidney patients."

AKF's website provides emergency preparedness information for dialysis patients at KidneyFund.org/disaster-prep. This page includes information about the 3-Day Emergency Diet Plan for dialysis patients. By following this plan, patients can help reduce waste buildup in their bodies if they have to miss or delay their dialysis treatments. Additionally, AKF has started a webpage of key resources in Texas for dialysis patients.

AKF has been providing emergency disaster financial assistance to kidney patients throughout all of the major disasters that have struck the United States and its territories for the past two decades. In 2020, AKF provided $62,000 in disaster relief grants to 333 patients affected by Hurricanes Laura and Sally and the Oregon wildfires. AKF also activated its Coronavirus Emergency Fund in 2020 and has provided over $3.1 million in assistance to more than 13,000 low-income dialysis and transplant patients during the pandemic.

Contributions can be made to help AKF be there for patients during disasters, and year-round through programs of prevention, early detection, financial support, disease management and advocacy.