Emergency Preparedness for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Patients
If you are in an area that is predicted to be affected by the pathway of Hurricane Milton, please read the following information carefully.
Ahead of the storm making landfall in your area, we strongly encourage you do the following:
- Review your stock of needed medical supplies and ensure you have enough to make it through several days. If you do not have enough supplies, contact us as soon as possible at 1.888.336.9363.
- If you are on life supporting equipment (i.e., oxygen, ventilators, etc.) contact your electric company to inform them you require life support equipment that is electricity dependent. This can assist your power company when prioritizing restoring power to your area, should there be an outage.
- Gather equipment and supplies in a common area (or in a bag, if possible) so that it can be quickly grabbed in case of emergency evacuation.
- If you have equipment with back-up batteries (i.e. ventilators, portable oxygen, etc.), test the battery to ensure it is working properly and keep the battery fully charged so it can be used in case of any power outages.
- Ensure your cell phone is fully charged. Only use your phone when necessary to maintain battery life in case of a power outage.
- If you evacuate your home, please ensure you bring all your medical equipment and supplies with you. Once you have reached your temporary safe site, please contact us to inform us of your location so we know where to reach you should you need assistance with your durable medical equipment or supplies.
Additional information and resources for our patients in Florida
Our hearts go out to all those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Your safety and continuity of care continue to be our greatest concern. Our team is available 24/7 for any urgent equipment or supply needs at 888.336.9363 (888.33.MYDME). Additional state and federal resources are also available:
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – Hurricane Helene
If any of the following apply to you and we have not been able to reach you, please call us immediately at 1.888.336.9363, if possible:
- There is damage to your equipment, or it is not functioning properly.
- You are on life-sustaining equipment (e.g., oxygen, ventilator) that requires electricity, and you are without power.
- You are running low on your medical supplies.
Additionally, if you are evacuating your home in search of a safe site or if there is a possibility you will need to evacuate in the near future, please be sure to do the following, if possible:
- Gather equipment and supplies in a common area (or in a bag, if possible) so that it can be quickly grabbed in case of emergency evacuation.
- If you have equipment with back-up batteries (i.e. ventilators, portable oxygen, etc.), test the battery to ensure it is working properly and keep the battery fully charged so it can be used in case of any future or prolonged power outages.
- If you evacuate your home, please ensure you bring all your medical equipment and supplies with you. Once you have reached your temporary safe site, please contact us to inform us of your location so we know where to reach you should you need assistance with your durable medical equipment or supplies.
- If you experience a medical emergency, please dial 911 immediately.
We are here to support you during this weather emergency and want you to know your health and safety are of utmost importance to our team. Our team members are available 24/7 by calling 1.888.336.9363.
Sending safe wishes to you and yours,
Synapse Health