CKD Rapid-Screening Program Will Hit 10,000 Milestone in July
By mid-July 2009, The Kidney TRUST will have administered the 10,000th screen in its innovative Chronic Kidney Disease (“CKD”) rapid-screening program, which was launched in October 2007.
The screening program has benefited individuals like Gilberto Heredia, who participated in a community-based CKD screening event in a small town in southeastern Texas earlier this year. Gilberto has had his diabetes under control for many years, but didn’t realize that diabetes was a significant risk factor for kidney disease.
When his screening results came back with an eGFR under 60, he was advised to seek medical advice. Gilberto saw his doctor for the first time in over a year and his medical team is now focused on his kidney health as well as his diabetes. Gilberto said, “I’m very grateful to The Kidney TRUST for making me aware of the threat to my kidneys and following up with me several times after the screening to make sure that I received the proper care.”
The goal of the TRUST’s screening program is to identify individuals who have signs of kidney impairment. Along with learning their screening results onsite, participants receive materials that offer education about CKD and its prevention and are encouraged to seek medical follow-up as appropriate. The TRUST’s screening program is carried out in non-medical settings such as large employer workplaces and community health fairs.
According to the TRUST’s program director Revkah Balingit, “We’re very pleased that we’ve been able to reach so many people in the initial roll-out of our screening program. About 8% of the people who have been screened so far have an eGFR of below 60, which indicates a decrease in kidney function – the people in this group have been urged to seek medical follow-up. As we’ve moved into community settings this year, we’ve been reaching more people with decreased kidney function – so far in 2009 over 15% of the people screened have eGFRs below 60, indicating that we’re doing an increasingly good job targeting those at risk.”
The Kidney TRUST’s President and CEO Barbara Lawson commented, “We’re very excited about reaching this milestone, which shows that we’re helping to create a new way of thinking about kidney disease. We’re seeing the impact – the people we reach go away with knowledge about kidney disease that millions of Americans don’t have, including the understanding that they can take action to prevent or slow the progression of CKD.”
