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Help spread the word about the NKDEP’s new Family Reunion Initiative!
The National Kidney Disease Education Program is pleased to announce the launch
of its Family Reunion Initiative, which encourages African Americans to talk about
the connection between diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney disease at family
reunions this summer.
Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of kidney failure,
a growing epidemic in the United States. African Americans are hit especially
hard, due largely to the high levels of diabetes and high blood pressure in this
community.
Because family reunions are an important institution in the African-American
community, and because diabetes and high blood pressure often run in families,
the family reunion provides a perfect opportunity to discuss family history and
the risks for kidney disease.
NKDEP has created a free Kidney Connection Toolkit that provides everything
family members need to share important kidney health information at their reunions:
kidney disease background information, three different ways to incorporate kidney
health into the reunion agenda, talking points, and supporting materials. The
toolkit can be downloaded from the NKDEP Family Reunion website (www.nkdep.nih.gov/familyreunion)
starting today.
NKDEP also has created materials that organizations such as yours can use to
tell others about the Family Reunion Initiative:
- Brief announcements about the initiative
- HTML and text-version emails
- A newsletter article
- A web button to link to the Family Reunion website
You can view and download these partner resources on NKDEP’s Family Reunion
website (www.nkdep.nih.gov/familyreunion).
Please use these materials in communications to your constituents, family, and
friends this summer to let people know about the Kidney Connection Toolkit.
We also would like to thank our Family Reunion partners: International Society
on Hypertension in Blacks, National Medical Association, National Urban League,
and The COSHAR Foundation for helping to promote the initiative.
If you would like more information about the Family Reunion Initiative, or
if you have other ideas for spreading the word, please call Victoria McGhee at
202-729-4235 or send her an email (victoria.mcghee@ogilvypr.com).
NKDEP Talks to Health Professionals in New Mexico about American Indian
Outreach
In preparation for the NKDEP's outreach to American Indians, NKDEP Associate Director
Elisa Gladstone attended the Management of Chronic Kidney Disease Workshop in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, on April 19-21. Sponsored by the Indian Health Service,
the workshop brought together professionals from a variety of health disciplines,
including diabetes educators, nurses, and pharmacists, to discuss various issues
related to chronic kidney disease (CKD) management.
NKDEP Steering Committee member Dr. Andy Narva provided Elisa time on the agenda
to discuss NKDEP and its emerging outreach to American Indians. NKDEP currently
is following up with several attendees to learn from their experiences and discuss
gaps in CKD education targeting American Indians. NKDEP hopes to develop culturally
relevant materials and interventions that will be useful to educators and effective
among American Indians.
New NKDEP Exhibit
NKDEP has created a new exhibit focusing on the connection between diabetes and
kidney disease. The exhibit made its debut earlier this month at the 65th Annual
Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego, CA. With
the headline, Diabetes and Kidney Disease: Make the Kidney Connection, the exhibit
addresses tests used for CKD detection as well as treatment for patients with
diabetes and CKD.
Stop by to say hello and check out the new exhibit at the NKDEP booth during
the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) 32nd Annual Meeting and
Exhibition on August 10-13, 2005, in Washington, DC.
Meetings Update
The NKDEP Steering Committee will meet on June 24 in Crystal City, VA.
In addition to the AADE meeting this summer, look for NKDEP at the Indiana
Black Expo (July 14-17) in Indianapolis, the National Urban League’s Annual
Meeting (July 27-31) in Washington, DC, and the American Association of Kidney
Patients’ meeting (September 1-4) in Las Vegas. NKDEP also will be distributing
materials at the upcoming American Association of Nurse Practitioners (June 19-21)
and National Black Nurses Association (July 21-23) meetings.
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