On March 15, Renal Care Nephrologists; Dr Mahathi Kalipatnapu and Dr Chandra Chaturvedula, along with the SBL Dialysis team and volunteers from throughout the organization offered free Kidney screenings to just under 40 community members.
I want to personally thank each and every volunteer for the help they provided today. It was wonderful to see everyone come together to support this important cause.
When speaking with one of the volunteers she stated, “It does not matter how many people we see in a day, if we saw one person that is impacted- it is totally worth it”.
- Kidney disease affects an estimated 37 million people in the U.S. (15% of the adult population; more than 1 in 7 adults).
- Approximately 90% of those with kidney disease don’t know they have it.
- And 2 of 5 adults with severe kidney disease don’t know they have it.
- 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. (approximately 80 million) is at risk for kidney disease.
- Kidney disease is more common in women (14%) than men (12%). But for every 2 women who develop end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), 3 men’s kidneys fail.
- Kidney disease is a leading cause of death in the U.S.
- About 1 in 2 people with very low kidney function (not on dialysis) don’t know they have kidney disease.
- Approximately 1 in 3 adults with diabetes and 1 in 5 adults with high blood pressure may have kidney disease.
When Sarah Bush first started their Nephrology journey I was approached when making a purchase in the gift shop by Jean Jones. Jean shared with me that she had provided a living kidney donation, something she should and is very proud of.
She introduced me to the National Kidney Foundations Mobile Screening unit- but at the time our Nephrologists were only available via telehealth. When Dr Mahathi and Dr Chandra joined Renal Care I was quickly approached by Dr Mahathi to organize an event like the one we had today.
Once we received the date, I knew that Jean would want to be one of our first volunteers, during her time she proudly sported her “Donate Life” pin on her badge.
I am so proud of how far Sarah Bush has come in their Nephrology and Dialysis journey and I am proud to work with all of you.
Alex Boyer, RN BSN MBA CNML CDN | Director, Practice Management