Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR)

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) mourns the tragedy unfolding in Israel and Gaza. Every person who has lost loved ones, colleagues, and partners in the region—and those who are concerned about their families and friends—is in our collective thoughts.

ASN has urged the Biden-Harris Administration to evacuate kidney patients, provide humanitarian resources via the Emergency Partnership Initiative, and bolster aid with a $10,000 donation to Direct Relief for vital resources.

ASN partners with Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and more than 90 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies—without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. To learn more about Direct Relief’s work in the area, please visit their website.

If you wish to donate to on-the-ground humanitarian efforts, Direct Relief has vetted the following organizations:

• As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) works to alleviate suffering for those in crisis.
• Save a Child’s Heart: An organization committed to saving the lives of critically ill children suffering from heart disease.
• Magen David Adom (MDA): Israel’s national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance, and blood bank service.
• John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group: Charitable provider of expert eye care to patients regardless of ethnicity, religion, or ability to pay.
• IsraAID: A non-governmental organization partnering with local & civil society organizations to coordinate humanitarian efforts, providing psychosocial support & urgent aid to vulnerable communities, evacuees, and their families.

As Direct Relief provides updates on the conflict and adds to its list of vetted organizations, ASN will share more information on this webpage.

The ASN Emergency Preparedness and Response was launched after the 2017 hurricane season, which crippled numerous islands in the Caribbean, leaving dialysis patients without access to dialysis treatment or transplant support, specifically in islands who are not US Territories.  In June 2018, ASN convened the ASN Disaster Relief Summit in Washington, DC, bringing together individuals with expertise in disaster preparedness and response from across the country and the Caribbean.  The participants concluded that there was a role for ASN in ongoing disaster preparedness and relief in roles that include:

• Partner with the Kidney Community Emergency Response Coalition (KCER).
• Through ASN’s Policy Team, address regulatory issues in preparedness and response that affect the kidney community.
• Expand education opportunities for Medical Directors and nephrologists in emergency preparedness and response.
• Provide education to the kidney community regarding federal disaster resources and the process required to access those resources.
• Increase awareness of the critical need for disaster preparedness.
• Assist in providing coordination of response and education as needed for the Caribbean Kidney Community.

The ASN Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) is a coalition of organizations allied to provide support to people with kidney diseases affected by disasters. Motivated by the adage coined by Benjamin Franklin in 1736, “an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure,” ASN EPR seeks to help patients and caregivers anticipate disasters that are likely to affect the regions where they live. EPR efforts recognize that disasters impact and may exaggerate historic sociodemographic inequities, so this initiative will include a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as justice.

The EPR work will focus on events throughout the United States and the Caribbean with an emphasis on disasters that are a result of climactic factors. Recent data shows increasing severity of disasters in correlation with climate change. As such, EPR will include a better understanding of the relationship between climate change and kidney diseases.