SAN DIEGO, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hundreds of home oxygen providers across California are implementing Disaster Preparedness Plans as smoke, raging fires and mass power outages wreak havoc, leaving thousands of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in need of emergency respiratory assistance to access life-saving oxygen therapy. COPD, a respiratory condition typically associated with acute lung diseases that obstruct airflow to the lungs and interfere with a patient's ability to breathe properly, is the 4th leading cause of death in the country. In California alone, more than 1.75 million people suffer from COPD.
Home oxygen providers took shifts throughout the past few nights to locate and speak with every patient in their jurisdiction, assess their individual situation and provide emergency support services to ensure their continuity of care -- whether in patients' homes or at an evacuation center. For many of the patients who remain at home during this crisis, widespread blackouts have left them without the use of their stationary oxygen concentrators, which generate the medically-pure oxygen they require from ambient room air.
Excessive smoke and particles in the air, can lead to respiratory distress or complications, especially for those suffering from COPD. If patients are unable to maintain their oxygen therapy as prescribed, they can become oxygen deficient and require hospitalization to stabilize their condition.
"Fire debris has increased the number of COPD patients that rely on their oxygen therapy," said Parivash Mohamadi, M.D., Internal Medicine.
The provider community from throughout the state -- and nationwide -- is working with Southern California-based doctors, respiratory therapists, and oxygen gas and equipment suppliers to ensure that all patients in need of oxygen therapy are located, identified and provided the equipment, supplies and services they require to maintain their therapy throughout the duration of the crisis.
"Our trained and dedicated employees are on the front-lines of this crisis. We have contacted every one of our 4,000 patients in the areas currently affected by these terrible fires to assess his or her individual situation and oxygen-therapy related needs. In many cases, patients are without electricity or have been evacuated from their homes, which requires delivery of supplemental equipment and large amounts of portable oxygen gas to temporary shelters and other alternative locations," said Peter Kelly, CEO of Pacific Pulmonary. "Locating our patients and coordinating the delivery process of emergency supplies to their homes and shelters can be chaotic for our staff due to road closures, heavy smoke and traffic jams, as well as the unpredictable nature of the fires themselves."
"Fortunately, we have invested in inventory, sophisticated logistics software and training for these types of emergency situations, and our staff are prepared to service our 20,000 patients in the Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego areas," said Larry Higby, CEO of Apria Healthcare. "Our patients are typically female, in their mid-70s, take multiple medications, live alone and depend on oxygen therapy so they can remain in the home. We understand an emergency situation can be frightening and traumatic to many of the vulnerable patients we serve, so we have activated more than 700 trained employees to provide 24-hour care and services."
Higby added, "Although we were forced to evacuate our San Diego facility due to the proximity of the fire, our field distribution employees continued to deliver to all those in need, including evacuees at the QualComm Stadium, and completed the successful transfer of more then 80 hospital and skilled nursing patients."
Lincare, another Southern California area home oxygen provider, is currently working around-the-clock to monitor the care of their more than 12,000 respiratory patients, including 4,500 on home oxygen, from eight area locations.
The emergency response plans enacted by area oxygen providers often include, but are not limited to, contacting all high acuity patients to assess their situations; confirming patient relocations; monitoring evacuation activities and surveying patient oxygen needs (which can change due to severe environmental conditions); ensuring all staff, technicians and emergency personnel are notified and reachable at all times; fueling and stocking all vehicles with equipment; and collaborating with local and national relief agencies such as the Red Cross on emergency efforts.
Coalition for Quality Respiratory Care
