Welcome to the May Edition of
KCER Watch
In This Issue
 
  • Dialysis During Disasters: What Disaster Response Stakeholders Need to Know
  • Tracking COVID-19 Positive Cases in the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Population
  • Patient-Guided COVID-19 Vaccine Resource
  • Take Steps Now to Help Prevent Wildfires
  • Prepping for the 2021 Hurricane Season
View and Download Resources
Dialysis During Disasters: What Disaster Response Stakeholders Need to Know
Mark your calendar for the next Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) webinar event, Dialysis During Disasters: What Disaster Response Stakeholders Need to Know. The KCER team has put together a panel of experts focused on educating disaster response stakeholders on the unique needs of dialysis patients and the facilities that treat them. During the webinar, presenters will:

  • Provide a basic understanding of ESRD and dialysis treatments.
  • Provide an overview of what resources dialysis facilities need to operate before, during, and after a disaster.
  • Present first-hand experiences on how the recent severe winter storms impacted dialysis facility operations in Texas and surrounding states.
  • Discuss key considerations for ESRD community planning, response, and recovery.

This event is open to the public and geared toward professionals in the fields of emergency management, public health (ESF-8); healthcare coalitions; public utilities; and additional federal, state, and local stakeholders responsible for disaster response and recovery. Click here to register for the event.
Tracking COVID-19 Positive Cases in the ESRD Population
KCER is partnering with the ESRD National Coordinating Center (NCC) to track COVID-19 positive case rates among the general population and the ESRD population. Maps showing the positive case rates are available on the ESRD NCC website. The trend maps are organized by ESRD Network service area, presented in black and white and color PDF formats, and optimized for printing in grayscale. The ESRD NCC encourages sharing these maps with facilities, transplant centers, and all ESRD patients.
Patient-Guided COVID-19 Vaccine Resource
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Vaccine recipients may have side effects after vaccination, but these are normal. Download The COVID-19 Vaccine—What You Should Know handout for tips to help vaccine takers know what to expect when they get vaccinated.
Take Steps Now to Help Prevent Wildfires 
May is National Wildfire Prevention Month. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Fire Association, “more than 46 million residences in 70,000 communities in the U.S. are at risk for wildland urban interface (WUI) fires.” The WUI is where houses are in or near wildland vegetation. WUI areas continue to grow by approximately 2 million acres per year.

With some simple steps, you can protect your home and community from wildfire:
  • Clean roofs and gutters of dead leaves, debris, and pine needles that could catch embers.
  • Clear vegetation from under large, stationary propane tanks.
  • Move any flammable materials away from wall exteriors—mulch, flammable plants, leaves—anything that can burn.
  • Remove anything stored under decks or porches.
Prepping for the 2021 Hurricane Season
Hurricane Preparedness Week is May 9–15, and is dedicated to informing the public about hurricane hazards and sharing information that can be used to prepare to take action. If you live in a hurricane prone area, you are encouraged to watch this FEMA video and complete these simple preparations from KCER before hurricane season begins on June 1.
Essential Resources
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This material was prepared the Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) contractor, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy nor imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. FL-KCER-7K5T2B-05112021-01