Apria Delivers Essential Oxygen Equipment to Those Impacted by California Wildfires

Business Wire

LAKE FOREST, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In response to the wildfires that have plagued much of California, Apria Healthcare — one of the nation’s largest providers of home healthcare and equipment services — announced a mobilized effort to deliver critical equipment to patients in need.

As utility companies increasingly cut power to homes and businesses across the state, and select neighborhoods are placed under mandatory evacuation, patients are at risk of going without prescribed oxygen therapy. Given the need to focus attention on patients in these affected neighborhoods, Apria employees have been working around the clock to ensure critical equipment is being delivered to their doorstep. Last week, more than 20,000 oxygen home deliveries were made, and trucks were set up in strategic locations to help distribute oxygen tanks to patients being evacuated from their homes.

“Our employees have been working nonstop, even while some of their own families were without power or had been evacuated from their homes,” said Zachary Holt, General Manager of the Apria Santa Rosa branch office. “This truly speaks to the unwavering dedication and commitment we feel towards our patients and communities.”

Apria has a long-standing commitment to supporting its patients during times of need and well-established emergency preparedness protocols in place. In advance of the power outages, local branches have been proactively filling up delivery vans, making calls to distribution centers to make sure adequate inventory is on hand, and individually contacting hundreds of patients to ensure they know what to expect and how Apria is available for support.

Many patients have been frustrated and scared by the power outages and have expressed how relieved they are, knowing Apria will provide personalized care and service during this crisis. “Our patients have been able to stay home and get their equipment delivered instead of having to travel to a local hospital for oxygen,” said Tyler Hutton, General Manager of the Apria Eureka branch office. “This is not the case with every home medical equipment company.”

With over 275 local branch offices, Apria stands ready to help serve patients across the entire country. “I am proud that our local teams have the knowledge, experience and dedication to providing outstanding patient care in all types of environments, whether it be hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, earthquakes — or most recently — wildfires,” said Dan Starck, Chief Executive Officer of Apria Healthcare Group. “We are honored to be able to help improve the quality of life of our patients at home.”

About Apria Healthcare Group Inc.

Apria is a privately held company owned by a group of investment limited partnerships managed by affiliates of Blackstone (NYSE:BX). Through its Apria Healthcare LLC operating unit, Apria provides home respiratory therapy, negative pressure wound therapy, home enteral nutrition therapy and support, and home medical equipment through more than 350 locations throughout the continental United States and Hawaii and serves more than 1.8 million patients each year. With over $1 billion in annual revenues, Apria is one of the nation’s largest and leading home healthcare companies. Apria was the first company of its type to obtain voluntary accreditation from The Joint Commission and has been continuously accredited for more than 25 years. For more information, visit www.apria.com.