Washington Update

The House and Senate returned to the legislative session earlier this week in Washington D.C., concluding a month-long recess spent in their home districts. August recess is typically seen as a period of down time and in-district work for members of Congress, a time where members of Congress can focus on local issues their constituents are facing. However the uncertainty of the proposed healthcare reform bills kept members of Congress heavily involved with their constituents on a national level.This year, recess was unusually busy with town hall events, constituent meeting, advertising campaigns, and grassroots lobby efforts pertaining to national healthcare reform.

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Help Kidney Patients achieve Medicare Equality—Take Action

Congressional Recess has ended; however, DPC is still working to ensure Congress’ health care reform package includes steps toward providing equality for ESRD patients within the Medicare system.  In the next few weeks, DPC will continue its efforts to ensure the final Congressional package:

• Provides patients with a choice to maintain their private insurance as their primary payer;
• Offers equal access to coverage options under Medicare, like Medigap plans;
• Improves the delivery system for ESRD treatment through Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs); and
• Extends coverage of immunosuppressant medications as a mutually beneficial plan for patients and for the government. 

All these issues are important in our fight to improve the quality of life and quality of care for kidney patients. 

In addition to the facility visits and district meetings completed by our Patient Ambassadors in August, DPC will continue our grassroots outreach to Congress by having our members on Capitol Hill speak directly to their elected representatives.  You can help ensure the voice of the kidney patient is heard.  Please join us in our efforts and email your Members of Congress.  Ask them to support kidney patients during the current health care reform discussion.

If you want to get more involved in advocating for yourself and other kidney patients, consider becoming a DPC Patient Ambassador! 

Take a Peak at DPC’s New Website

Re-launched in mid-August, DPC’s website features a new crisp design with concise pages and quick links to some of your favorite topics including education and advocacy.  The new layout will better help you find information and resources for use in your facility, community, and discussions with elected officials.  In addition, look for up to date information on how DPC is working to ensure favorable changes are made to kidney care policies at both the state and federal level.  You can also visit our News section to see the latest stories about dialysis.

We built this site for you!  And now we want to hear your feedback.  Let us know what you think about the new site and any additional content or navigation that you would like to see in the future. 

Patient Connection—Ask a Pharmacist

Last month we asked for your questions for our new “Ask a Pharmacist” segment in our newsletter, The Patient Citizen.  We got some great questions, but we know some of you still have questions you would like answered.  So, if you have a question about over the counter (OTC) pain relievers or drug interactions, now is your time to ask. 

You can submit your questions through DPC’s Patient Connections, and we’ll do our best to provide you with an answer in upcoming editions of The Patient Citizen.  Look in October’s edition of The Patient Citizen for the first segment of “Ask a Pharmacist”.

New Education Material

In order to more adequately address the concerns of the pre-dialysis and dialysis community, DPC has introduced two new educational documents entitled Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease and High Blood Pressure and Chronic Kidney Disease.

People with diabetes and high blood pressure are at a higher risk of developing Chronic Kidney Disease, and it is important to learn how to monitor your individual conditions, so you can make informed decisions regarding your health.  These articles can also be found in the education section of our website.

Arkansas Renal Commission Summit

On August 18th, DPC member Lola Thrower participated in a panel discussion about dialysis patients’ treatment options at the Arkansas Renal Commission Summit in Little Rock.  Lola joined other ESRD patients on the panel and provided an overview of her experiences with peritoneal dialysis versus in-center dialysis.

Lola explained that while there are benefits to both types of therapies, she chose to undergo home dialysis. This is because it affords her greater control and flexibility in her care which is particularly valuable as she maintains a busy schedule in home-schooling her 13-year-old son, working as the Minister of Music and in the youth department in her church and leading an online Sunday school class she created two years ago.

Lola told the audience that with her peritoneal dialysis treatment, she can continue to be an active mother to her two children and grandmother to her two grandchildren, as well as enjoy Friday night “date nights” with her young son.  Her overall message for participants was that no matter which treatment they decide to choose, by learning all they can about their care, finding the best option that works for them, and being diligent to follow the steps they need to follow for their care, they can continue with a full and happy life as she has.