December 18, 2012

Community health center pilot project identifies best practices in CKD detection and care

Because managing CKD prior to nephrology referral can improve patient outcomes, NKDEP supports addressing CKD in the primary care setting and aims to equip these providers with resources to better detect and treat CKD. To test effective strategies for improving CKD detection and care in primary care settings, NKDEP implemented a pilot project to integrate CKD into diabetes care within community health centers (CHCs). NKDEP collaborated with six CHCs to design and implement a range of clinical interventions. The pilot project found several interventions to be both effective and sustainable across centers. Learn more about the CHC CKD pilot project, including how it was implemented, key findings, and recommendations for those interested in implementing similar programs.

NKDEP, health and faith partners collaborate for National Kidney Sundays event

Cover image of the Kidney Sundays toolkit

NKDEP is continuing its partnerships with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Incorporated to host the second nationwide Kidney Sundays event on March 3, 2013 in recognition of National Kidney Month. The initiative will expand on its inaugural year success, which included 54 African American congregations across the nation directly engaged via ADA and Chi Eta Phi grassroots efforts, and 1,522 blood pressure screenings at 39 faith organizations in 15 cities with Chi Eta Phi's registered nurses.

New for 2013, Kidney Sundays events will be held in Atlanta, Boston, Connecticut, and the Orlando/Tampa region through ADA and Chi Eta Phi's expansion of the program among their chapters. Faith leaders and local ADA and Chi Eta Phi chapters have agreed to share kidney health and kidney disease prevention messaging throughout the week. Messages will emphasize the connection between diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney disease and the importance of getting testing if you're at risk. The places of worship will hold Kidney Sundays sessions, distribute materials, and sponsor blood pressure screenings by Chi Eta Phi nurses.

We will be publishing more information each month leading up to Kidney Sundays in our Make the Kidney Connection newsletter. For more information about Kidney Sundays, visit the NKDEP website.

Redesigned Family Reunion Guide helps families discuss kidney health

NKDEP recently revamped its popular Family Reunion Health Guide, a manual for discussing kidney health and risk factors for kidney disease at family gatherings. The guide was not only redesigned, but was also rewritten to offer additional planning tips and tools to communicate with family members prior to and after family reunions. It even includes suggestions and tips for using social media, text messages, and email to engage families in supporting one another to keep their kidneys healthy.

Download the new and improved Family Reunion Health Guide and other Make the Kidney Connection materials from NKDEP's website.

NKDEP Coordinating Panel discusses community, evaluation, working group efforts

The NKDEP Coordinating Panel (CP) meeting on December 10, 2012, in Bethesda, MD, featured a variety of presentations that captured some of the important work NKDEP has done this year in reducing the burden of CKD. Opening the day were presentations on the progress made in engaging the African American and Hispanic communities with information on preventing kidney disease. Eileen Newman, associate director of NKDEP, presented on the Program's evaluation methods. Finally, the chairs of NKDEP's Laboratory Working Group, Health Information Technology Working Group, and Pharmacy Working Group updated the panel on efforts made by their respective Working Groups.

For full details, keep an eye on our website for the CP Meeting Summary, which will be posted in the coming months.

CDC's CKD Surveillance System documents the burden of CKD

Last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Initiative launched its new CKD Surveillance System website, which provides fast facts and surveillance trends on the burden of CKD and its risk factors in the United States. The System also tracks the progress of efforts to prevent, detect, and manage CKD.

Screen shot of the CDC Surveillance System website

Home to the a comprehensive collection of CKD data, the Surveillance System website offers the ability to search by CKD surveillance topic and has separate gateways for each. Among its features are customizable graphics and maps, an interactive application to view U.S. trends, the National Chronic Kidney Disease Fact Sheet 2010, and downloadable charts that can be used in grant applications, reports, articles, and other publications. Of course, the site also houses important data for monitoring trends in health consequences of CKD and health care capacity and for monitoring progress toward Health People 2020 kidney disease objectives.

The site is run through CDC's CKD Initiative, which is an effort designed to provide comprehensive public health strategies for promoting kidney health, preventing and controlling risk factors for CKD, raising awareness, promoting early diagnosis, and improving outcomes and quality of life for those living with CKD. To learn more about the CDC CKD Initiative, visit their website.

This New Year, Use Tools from NDEP to Help People Take Just One Step Toward a Healthier Life

January is the start of a new year and a time when many people make New Year's resolutions to be healthier. For the nearly 26 million Americans living with diabetes, making lifestyle changes to manage diabetes and prevent complications—including kidney disease—is a resolution worth keeping. NDEP's Just One Step tool can help. The tool encourages people to think about:

what step they will take to help reach their goal (for example, walking),
when and how often they will do it (for example, go walking on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday during the lunch hour), and
how much time they will put into their step (for example, walk 15 minutes each day to start).

The key to reaching health goals—and keeping up resolutions all year long—is to set a goal and make a step by step plan. This New Year, encourage people to take the first step to a healthier life at YourDiabetesInfo.org/JustOneStep, then check out YourDiabetesInfo.org/MakeAPlan.

September KICC Meeting Summary Now Available

NIDDK and NKDEP hosted the semiannual Kidney Interagency Coordinating Committee (KICC) meeting on September 14, 2012 in Bethesda, Maryland. A summary of the meeting (287 KB) is now available online.

NKDEP News is a quarterly newsletter featuring news and information on NKDEP's activities, new materials, and publications. It also features relevant news regarding kidney disease and its risk factors from other NIDDK programs, Federal agencies and non-government organizations.