FMCNA ships dialysis machines and supplies for Haiti relief efforts

Fresenius Medical Care North AmericaJan 30 2010

Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the world's largest integrated provider of products and services for individuals undergoing dialysis because of chronic kidney failure, is donating and delivering dialysis supplies to Haitians, at a time when relief supplies continue to be slow to reach those in need following a devastating earthquake and aftershock.

“The situation in Haiti is heartbreaking, and we as a company want to do anything we can to help”

FMCNA is shipping four dialysis machines and 10,000 pounds of supplies this week to a private port in Haiti, in conjunction with the company Dialysis at Sea, which provides dialysis on cruise ships. The supplies will be distributed as they are needed. This is the second shipment FMCNA has sent for Haiti relief efforts. Last week, FMCNA chartered a plane to deliver its donated supplies to the Dominican Republic; they were then sent to hospitals in Port-au-Prince and to dialysis facilities along the border of Haiti, where evacuees were being brought for treatment. A number of Haitians need acute dialysis to treat crush injuries from the earthquake. FMCNA has pledged close to $200,000 in supplies for Haiti relief efforts, including dialysis machines, dialyzers, needles, bloodlines and heparin. More shipments are planned.

Responding to an outpouring of support from its employees who want to assist with aid to Haiti, FMCNA will match employee donations dollar for dollar. FMCNA has more than 42,000 employees.

“The situation in Haiti is heartbreaking, and we as a company want to do anything we can to help,” says Rice Powell, CEO of Fresenius Medical Care North America. “We have received an overwhelming number of offers from employees who want to travel to Haiti and help those who are suffering. However, at this time, we have not received requests to send people to Haiti, but we are prepared to do so if the need arises.”

FMCNA is working through the American Society of Nephrology, which is coordinating with kidney organizations to provide needed supplies and medical professionals. In addition, FMCNA is a leading member of the Kidney Community Emergency Response Coalition (KCER), a group that is sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and provides technical assistance to ensure timely and efficient emergency preparedness and response for the kidney community. KCER is meeting regularly to coordinate efforts to assist Haiti.

FMCNA also loaded dialysis equipment and supplies onto the U.S. Navy’s floating medical treatment facility, the USNS Comfort, which arrived in Haiti last week and is treating patients.

Dialysis is a life-sustaining process that cleans waste products from the blood, removes extra fluids, and controls the body’s chemistry when a person’s kidneys fail. Dialysis patients typically require treatment on an ongoing basis unless they receive a kidney transplant.