TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (February 6th, 2024) – The National Kidney Foundation of Florida (NKFF), Florida Renal Association (FRA) and Florida Renal Coalition (FRC) participated in the 18th Annual Florida Kidney Day at the state Capitol in Tallahassee. During this two-day event, the NKFF, FRC, the FRA, and other dialysis providers met with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), legislators, staff and the public to bring awareness to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney health.
Florida Kidney Day, organized by the FRC, is intended to educate elected officials on the significance of dialysis treatment and proper kidney care as they work on a budget and seek to pass legislation to fund health care. Kidneys are the body’s filtration system, removing waste and extra fluid while balancing chemicals that are necessary to kidney function. Individuals with kidney disease lose the ability to effectively remove waste from the body.
When CKD progresses to end stage renal disease (ESRD), dialysis or a kidney transplant is vital for survival. There are more than 29,169 dialysis patients in Florida and over 6,551 on the waitlist for a kidney. Legislative action is necessary to ensure these patients have access to the best care and that all barriers to transplantation are removed.
Savana Lanza, Chief Executive Officer for the National Kidney Foundation of Florida added, “State level advocacy through the Annual Kidney Day is a vital component of our mission to improve the lives of kidney patients and their caregivers. More than 37 million Americans have Chronic Kidney Disease and most of them don’t even know it. Through our advocacy efforts in the state of Florida we are able to provide legislators with the information that they need to understand the treatment options and help improve overall outcomes for patients.”
“We had an excellent meeting with AHCA and our Florida Legislators again this year,” said Shannon Moore, Board President of FRA. “This 2 -day event provided a great forum to present the needs of our kidney community and educate policy makers on the unique problems associated with chronic kidney disease, dialysis, and transplantation.”
The Florida Renal Association was established to provide a consolidated, focused and multi-disciplinary forum to improve access and quality of care for Florida’s Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) community. The volunteer board members of the FRA founded FLORIDA KIDNEY DAY in 2003 to provide opportunities for kidney patients, caregivers, and dialysis professionals to share their stories and educate our Legislators and their staff about kidney disease and present their kidney community’s legislative agenda.
