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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2020
Contact: HHS Press Office
202-690-6343
[email protected]

HHS Deploys New Portable Dialysis Machines to New York for COVID-19 Response

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services deployed 50 portable kidney dialysis machines and supplies to New York City and Long Island Intensive Care Units (ICUs) to provide surge capacity for facilities caring for patients with COVID-19, which has caused acute kidney injury and therefore required dialysis in a share of ICU cases.

To meet this increased need, the Strategic National Stockpile, managed by HHS’s Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), is deploying this new dialysis technology through an HHS contract with Outset Medical that began in 2019. The machine uses tap water to make the solution necessary for dialysis on demand, helping to reduce demand for dialysis supplies. ASPR is also in the process of acquiring more units.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar issued the following statement:

“Deploying these portable dialysis machines is a sign of the commitment the Trump Administration has made to New York and its hard-hit healthcare system, as well as to deploying the latest technology to help Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. We learned from recent disasters that disruptions in kidney care can present serious risks. We responded by working with American innovators to create flexible, reliable solutions like these portable machines, which operate as long as there is tap water and electricity. These machines will provide essential dialysis treatment to help save New Yorkers fighting complications from COVID-19.

“America’s kidney patients often come from especially vulnerable populations, who are suffering even more during COVID-19 and have seen the costs of kidney disease too often forgotten. Now, with COVID-19 creating new kidney challenges, we need to respond with new solutions. The development and deployment of these machines demonstrates how President Trump has prioritized better American kidney health both during emergencies and in the years to come.”

For more on HHS’s Advancing American Kidney Health initiative, including the role of innovation in disaster situations and ASPR’s work: https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/262046/AdvancingAmericanKidneyHealth.pdf

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other news materials are available at https://www.hhs.gov/news.
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Last revised: May 7, 2020

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