July, 2009

Message from the President and CEO

Dear Friend

Last month, the American Kidney Fund joined in supporting the “Performance Excellence and Accountability in Kidney Care” or PEAK Campaign, launched by Kidney Care Partners (KCP). PEAK is a voluntary effort to reduce mortality among first-year dialysis patients by 20 percent.

The American Kidney Fund is dedicated to supporting dialysis patients nationwide through education and financial assistance. We support the PEAK Campaign’s goals to improve education and patient-centered care methods among first-year dialysis patients. We commend Kidney Care Partners for taking this step toward further quality improvement with a focus on saving lives.
 
Kidney disease affects more than 31 million people nationwide.  Approximately 500,000 Americans are living with kidney failure, which requires them to undergo dialysis or kidney transplantation to survive. Transplants are limited because of the shortage of donor organs, so most patients undergo dialysis for three to four hours, three times a week. The number of Americans with kidney disease is rising steadily due to risk factors including diabetes and high blood pressure.
 
PEAK was launched by KCP, a broad-based coalition of kidney patient advocacy groups, health care professional organizations, dialysis service providers and manufacturers who seek to improve quality of care available to patients diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. AKF is proud to be a part of that coalition.
 
I invite you to visit our website to learn how you can join us in the fight against kidney disease. And if your life has been directly affected by chronic kidney disease, I would like to invite you to join the growing number of people who have shared their stories with us.
 
With best wishes for your continued good health,

LaVarne A. Burton
President and CEO

AKF to Hold 4th Annual New York Golf Classic

The American Kidney Fund announced its 4th Annual New York Golf Classic, to be held August 3, 2009, at the Hamlet Golf and Country Club in Commack, New York. The Honorable Thomas S. Gulotta will be honored at this year’s event, which will be co-chaired by Frank D. Pelliccione of Flushing Savings Bank, and Joseph D. Simon of Cullen and Dykman, LLP.

The New York Golf Classic will include brunch, an 18-hole tournament, cocktail reception, buffet dinner, awards presentation, and live auction.  All proceeds of the New York Golf Classic will be used to support the local programs of the American Kidney Fund.  In 2008, the American Kidney Fund provided over $1.6 million in treatment-related financial assistance to kidney patients in the state of New York.

For more information about the 4th Annual New York Golf Classic, contact Doug Davidson at (516) 336-8530 or ddavidson@kidneyfund.org.

Slam! Kidney Disease is a Slam Dunk

The American Kidney Fund has teamed up with Hoop It Up to offer anyone who loves the game of basketball an exciting way to join in the fight against kidney disease. Slam! Kidney Disease is a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that will help to increase kidney disease awareness, raise money to support the American Kidney Fund’s programs and services, and give participants a chance to earn great prizes like an Xbox 360 Elite. 

The Slam! Kidney Disease event in Washington, DC was such a success, the American Kidney Fund is bringing the event to a city near you.  On August 15-16, Slam! Kidney Disease comes the Suffolk Downs Race Track in East Boston, MA.  Atlanta will be hosting the basketball tournament on August 22-23 at the Georgia World Congress Center.

All proceeds help to fund our programs and services. For more information or to start fundraising, go to www.kidneyfund.org/slam

Spotlight on Health: High Blood Pressure is #2 Cause of Kidney Disease

High blood pressure is the second leading cause of chronic kidney disease; in fact, one out of four kidney failure cases is due to high blood pressure. Just like diabetes, high blood pressure can permanently damage tiny blood vessels in the kidney. Over time, this damage will keep your kidneys from working as well as they should. If blood pressure stays high, the damage may continue and kidney function may decrease.

At the same time, damaged kidneys can actually cause high blood pressure. One of the jobs of healthy kidneys is to control blood pressure. They do this by making a hormone called renin.  When the kidneys are damaged, they cannot make renin as well as they should. This causes blood pressure to rise. It is a vicious cycle; the higher blood pressure can damage the kidneys even more.

A healthy blood pressure is less than 120/80 or “120 over 80” for most people. There are several things that you can do to help keep your blood pressure in a healthy range. This can reduce your risk for kidney disease:

• Check your blood pressure often.
• Exercise regularly.
• Maintain a healthy weight (Losing even a few pounds if you are overweight can help to lower your blood pressure).
• Avoid tobacco products.
• Avoid alcoholic drinks.
• Talk to your doctor about starting a blood pressure medicine if you have high blood pressure.

The American Kidney Fund offers free kidney health brochures and fact sheets on several topics, including “High Blood Pressure and Your Kidneys.” You may download free PDF versions, or order one for free.

Check out AKF’s Newest Kidney Health Podcast, “An Overview of the Minority Intervention and Kidney Education (MIKE) Program”

The American Kidney Fund recently released “An Overview of the MIKE Program”, the 3rd production in its kidney health podcast series. The podcast is an interview with Courtney Nicholas, Associate Director of Minority Health Programs at the American Kidney Fund. 

During the interview, Courtney discusses the American Kidney Fund’s Minority Intervention and Kidney Education Program, also known as the MIKE Program. The podcast provides information about the risk factors for kidney disease; the importance of screening and education; and how to get information about AKF’s MIKE screenings and educational resources.

AKF is on Twitter! Are you following?

The American Kidney Fund invites you to follow us on Twitter. Stay up to date on everything that’s happening at AKF, find out about special events and health screenings, tweet us and more! You can quickly become a follower by clicking here.