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Nashville, Tennessee (September 1, 2000)—Renal Care Group, Inc. (Nasdaq/NM: RCGI) today commented on recent events in Youngstown, Ohio. On Wednesday, August 30, 2000, several patients undergoing dialysis treatment in a dialysis center owned by Renal Care Group in Youngstown experienced chills, nausea and fever. Nineteen of the patients were hospitalized. One of the patients has since died. As of September 1, 2000, four of the patients who were hospitalized have been discharged, and the remaining fourteen patients are all in stable condition. As a precaution, Renal Care Group closed the dialysis unit, and all of the patients from the unit are being treated in other RCG units nearby.
Sam A. Brooks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Renal Care Group, said, "Our primary concern is for our patients and their families, and our prayers are with these patients in this difficult time. As soon as we learned of the situation in Youngstown, we dispatched our Chief Medical Officer and Chief Operating Officer to lead the investigation into why these patients became sick and what factors might have contributed to their illnesses. They arrived in Youngstown on Wednesday, August 30, 2000 and have overseen our investigation." The Company has also retained nationally recognized experts to participate in the investigation. In addition, local, state and national health care officials (including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are participating in the investigation. The investigation is ongoing and no cause of the illnesses has been determined. Also, it is important to mention that we know that this situation is unique to the facility in Youngstown, Ohio and none of our other facilities is in any way affected.
Mr. Brooks continued, "We are committed to determining the cause of these illnesses and to preventing a similar event in the future. When we have more information we will pass it along. Right now, however, we can assure you that our primary concern is for the safety and well-being of all of our patients."
Renal Care Group, Inc. is a dialysis services company that provides care to patients with kidney disease. The Company treats approximately 15,900 patients through 193 dialysis centers, in addition to providing acute dialysis services in 108 hospitals. Over 5,000 associates provide services in the Company's 23-state network.
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect management's expectations and are based upon currently available information. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Renal Care Group to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. These factors are discussed in more detail in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation Renal Care Group's annual report on Form 10K for the year ended December 31, 1999 and Renal Care Group's quarterly reports on From 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2000 and June 30, 2000. Copies of these filings are available from Renal Care Group upon request. |
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