Advocating for transportation to dialysis as essential service

In recent days, The Kidney Foundation has been contacted by patients, caregivers and renal health care providers concerned about the decrease and/or suspension of transportation services in light of COVID-19 pandemic management measures. In response to these concerns, the Foundation last week urged the government of Ontario to deem transportation services relied upon by kidney patients as essential services.

We have urged the Ontario Government to do the following:

Mandate that all community and publicly-funded transportation services immediately work with their regional Ontario Health Teams to find a solution.
Where there is no community or publicly-funded transportation, to provide additional financial assistance for patients so they may afford taxi or private transportation services.
Designate publicly-funded accessible transportation services across the province an essential service.

“Given the complexity of managing the COVID-19 crisis, it is vital that patients who require dialysis in a medical outpatient setting, receive this care regardless of their state of self-quarantine, suspected COVID-19 contact and/or COVID-19 confirmed,” said Craig Kerr, Kidney Foundation of Canada Ontario Board President. “This issue requires the Ontario Government to take immediate action to assure that there is a plan in place.”

Letters of support for this call to action have also been sent to the provincial government by the Canadian Association of Nephrology Social Workers (CANSW) and, jointly, by the Canadian Association of Nephrology Nurses and Technologists (CANNT) and the Renal Administrative Leaders Network of Ontario (RALNO).
Add your voice to ours. We encourage patients and their caregivers to write to or call your Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP); a full list is available here: https://www.ola.org/en/members/current

We ask that you also let The Kidney Foundation know the challenges that you are experiencing with regards to community and publicly-funded transportation services so we may continue to monitor the situation and update our calls to action. Email us at Ontario.programs@kidney.ca or call 1.800.387.4474 ext.4970.

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