National Kidney Foundation and Award-Winning Actress Debbie Allen Observe World Kidney Day by Asking All Americans to Learn about Kidney Health
~Landmarks & Buildings Nationwide Turn Orange in Honor of World Kidney Day
NEW YORK, March 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of World Kidney Day on Thursday, March 11, the National Kidney Foundation's (NKF) national public awareness campaign, "Are You the 33%?", asks all Americans to take action with a simple, one-minute quiz at MinuteForYourKidneys.org to find out if they're at risk for kidney disease. The campaign, originally launched in March 2020, now includes a new joint initiative launched with Bayer and award-winning actress Debbie Allen which focuses on the connection between type 2 diabetes (T2D) as a leading cause of kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD). This campaign aims to empower people to know their kidney risk, understand the importance of managing their blood sugar for good kidney health, and talk to their doctors about diabetes and kidney disease. To further commemorate World Kidney Day 2021, landmarks and buildings nationwide will "turn orange," the signature color for kidney disease.
In addition, today, people with T2D will have a unique opportunity to attend a virtual Fireside Chat at 8AM PT/11AM ET to hear Debbie Allen's personal story first-hand. Allen will be joined by NKF patient advocate Jeff Dawson, who is living with CKD and T2D, and NKF's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joseph Vassalotti. Participants will have the opportunity to ask the speakers questions via a chat function. Registration details can be found here.
"Today we observe World Kidney Day, a day to build awareness about the importance of understanding your kidney health, as well as reducing the impact of kidney disease globally," said Kevin Longino, Chief Executive Officer of NKF and a kidney transplant patient. "Everyone needs to know about kidney disease, but especially if you have any one of the five risk factors – diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity or a family history of kidney disease. Knowing you're at risk is the first step towards living a healthier life."
Throughout the month of March, CVS Kidney Care is promoting this important message through social media and within their pharmacy locations.
Healthy.io, the creator of smartphone urinalysis, is partnering with NKF to offer its home urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) test kit, free of charge, to people with type 2 diabetes who are at increased risk for developing kidney disease.
Blacks or African Americans are 13 percent of the U.S. population, but represent 35 percent of those with kidney failure. Hispanics or Latinos are 1.3 times as likely as non-Hispanics/Latinos to develop kidney failure. Diabetes is a leading cause of kidney disease as well as high blood pressure. Both are more prevalent in these at-risk communities. Everyone needs to know about kidney disease, but especially if you have any one of these additional risk factors: heart disease, obesity, and family history of kidney disease. Take the one-minute quiz available in English and in Spanish at MinuteForYourKidneys.org.
To further commemorate World Kidney Day 2021, landmarks and buildings nationwide will "turn orange," the signature color for kidney disease, including: the Pittsburgh City-County Building as well as Pittsburgh's Koppers Building, Gulf Tower, One Oxford Centre, The "Sail" at Grant Street Transportation Center, Fifth Avenue Place (Highmark Place), Allegheny County Courthouse tower, and Rivers Casino rotunda; in Boston, the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, Longfellow Bridge, Fore River Bridge, and Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge; in Columbus, OH, the Nationwide Children's Hospital; The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts; the McDonnell Planetarium—Saint Louis Science Center; and The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta in St. Louis among others.
NKF field offices have also received proclamations for March, including: NKF Serving the Northeast received a Proclamation from Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania; NKF Serving the Alleghenies received Proclamations from the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, PA, presented by Council Member Cindy Kirk of Allegheny County, a Proclamation from Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, a Proclamation from Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia and the Mayor of State College (PA); NKF Serving the Mid-Atlantic received a Proclamation from Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota; NKF Serving New England received a Proclamation from Governor Charlie Baker of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and NKF Serving the Mid-Atlantic received a Proclamation from Governor Philip Scott of Vermont.
Funding and/or support for the campaign was provided to the National Kidney Foundation by the following: CVS Kidney Care, Healthy.io, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., and Tricida.
Join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #MinuteForYourKidneys.
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease—and approximately 90 percent don't know they have it. 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Blacks or African Americans are almost 4 times more likely than White Americans to have kidney failure. Hispanics are 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure.
About National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.
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SOURCE National Kidney Foundation
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