The American Kidney Fund (AKF) has activated its Disaster Relief Program and provided emergency grants to dialysis and post-transplant patients who had been impacted by the tornadoes on December 10 and 11. The AKF program is the only national rapid-response system to provide emergency financial assistance to patients requiring dialysis and to recent transplant recipients.
In a press release, LaVarne A. Burton, AKF president and CEO, said, “We were devasted by the news of the tornadoes and our hearts go out to the communities impacted. Through our Disaster Relief Program, we will aid dialysis and post-transplant patients who were affected. Our grants provide assistance when it is needed the most and help alleviate some of the financial and health concern of patients who find themselves navigating the aftermath of a natural disaster.”
The $2500 emergency grants were made available to dialysis and post-transplant patients impacted by the tornadoes in Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. The funds help patients replace lost medications and special renal diet food, pay for temporary housing and transportation to treatment, and replace clothing and other essentials lost during the disaster or the need to evacuate without notice.
The AKF Program has provided emergency disaster financial assistance to kidney patients in the United States and its territories for the past two decades. In early 2021, the Fund allocated $325,000 to more than 1600 dialysis and post-transplant patients during the winter storm crisis in Texas and $150,000 in emergency grants to more than 750 dialysis and post-transplant patients affected by Hurricane Ida.
For more information, visit KidneyFund.org
