Impoverished Kidney Patients Granted Emergency Dialysis

By Michelle Wirth

Atlanta, GA – Several impoverished kidney patients have been told they will receive emergency dialysis treatment at Grady Memorial Hospital Tuesday. More than 20 patients who were receiving care at Fresenius Medical Care have gone without outpatient dialysis since last week. That's when a contract for their care between Grady and Fresenius expired. Dorothy Leone-Glasser is president of Advocates for Responsible Care. She's relieved the patients will receive emergency treatment, but she says without regular care they will remain critically ill.

"We're really dealing with sick people, and I think it's criminal that they're being asked to assess themselves medically and decide when you are close enough to death, but not quite dead, to receive dialysis."

Leone-Glasser says 12 dialysis patients tried to get dialysis treatment at Grady on Saturday but were medically screened and told to return to the ER only if their symptoms got worse. Grady spokesman Matt Gove says the hospital can only treat patients if they are in need of acute dialysis.