LUTHERVILLE, Md. – The National Kidney Foundation Serving Maryland and Delaware will provide outreach and education at the Living Legacy Foundation 3rd Annual Hospital Partners Conference –Creating Connections: The Journey from Donation to Transplant–taking place Thursday, Nov.16, from 8:00a.m. to 4:30p.m., at Martin’s West (6817 Dogwood Rd., Baltimore, Md. 21244).
As part of its mission of early detection and early intervention, the Foundation will explain why the kidneys are important, discuss risk factors for kidney disease and give recommendations for protecting the kidneys.
Although 30 million people are estimated to have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), 96 percent of those with early kidney disease (stages 1 and 2) don’t even know they have CKD. In fact, 25 percent of the 1,170 people screened in 2016 by NKF in Maryland and Delaware demonstrated significant results.
Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and family history of kidney failure. People of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are three times more likely than Whites, and Hispanics are nearly 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to develop end stage renal disease (kidney failure).
“Overall, CKD affects 15 percent of the U.S. adult population,”said Pattie Dash,executive director of the National Kidney Foundation Serving Maryland and Delaware.“It is imperative we try to reduce these numbers through community outreach events like this Living Legacy Foundation conference.”
Admission to the conference is free,but registration is required. To register, visit https://www.thellf.org/for-professionals/healthcare-professionals/educational-opportunities/hospital-partners-conference.
For details about NKF’s free outreach events,kidney screenings and kidney health risk assessments in Maryland and Delaware, visit www.kidneymd.org or call 410.494.8545 to speak with associate executive director, Jessica Quintilian.
About NKF
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive and longstanding organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease. For more information, visit www.kidney.org.
