
Press release
American Kidney Fund's Goutful Campaign Wins 2019 Bulldog Stars of PR Award
Materials for renal professionals and consumers recognized for excellence in health care communication
ROCKVILLE, Md. (July 3, 2019) – The American Kidney Fund (AKF) today announced it has won a Silver 2019 Bulldog Stars of PR Award in the Best Not-for-Profit/ Association Campaign category for its Goutful campaign.

Goutful, a blend of the words "gout" and "doubtful," debunks popular misconceptions about gout and helps chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients understand their risk for gout. The campaign fills an information void for patients, who often face significant stigma because gout is commonly misunderstood and misperceived as being caused by overindulgence.
The Bulldog Stars of PR Awards, run by Bulldog Reporter, are the only PR and communications awards judged solely by journalists. Competition for the 2019 awards was steep, as a "record-breaking number of entries" was received, according to Bulldog Reporter.

Goutful uses an educational webpage, artwork and a "Myths & Facts" quiz to debunk many of the misconceptions people have about gout — including the common beliefs that gout is the patient's fault and that gout isn't a serious condition. The campaign is part of AKF's ongoing work to provide quality health education content to the CKD community and is supported by an unrestricted grant from Horizon Therapeutics plc. The Goutful campaign and graphics were designed in collaboration with JPA Health Communications.
About the American Kidney Fund
The American Kidney Fund (AKF) fights kidney disease on all fronts as the nation’s leading kidney nonprofit. AKF works on behalf of the 37 million Americans living with kidney disease, and the millions more at risk, with an unmatched scope of programs that support people wherever they are in their fight against kidney disease—from prevention through transplant. With programs that address early detection, disease management, financial assistance, clinical research, innovation and advocacy, no kidney organization impacts more lives than AKF. One of the nation’s top-rated nonprofits, AKF invests 97 cents of every donated dollar in programs, earning the highest 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator for 20 years in a row as well as the Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, formerly GuideStar.
For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.