CHICAGO (July 11, 2024) – As part of its work to raise awareness about the importance of proper kidney care and ways to protect against kidney failure, the Illinois Kidney Care Alliance (IKCA) and Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) have established the first-in-the-nation training curriculum for community health workers to help fight against kidney disease.
This pioneering training program addresses a critical void in community health worker education by introducing a first-of-its-kind curriculum focused on kidney failure, comprising six (6) self-paced online modules designed to educate participants on reducing kidney disease risks, empowering individuals to manage their health, and comprehending treatment alternatives.
DPC sees this training as a necessary resource for community health workers to effectively educate their communities about kidney disease. Most importantly, the training can assist local residents who are vulnerable to kidney failure in acquiring essential health management skills.
“We believe that by providing this vital training to the community we could reduce the number of emergent dialysis starts and provide patients with the knowledge to understand their treatment options,” said Elizabeth Lively, Chair, Illinois Kidney Care Alliance CHW Task Force and Dialysis Patient Citizens staff Member.
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“Community Health Workers are a valuable resource when it comes to finding proactive ways to help fight against kidney disease,” said Wendy Schrag, Vice President of State Government Affairs, Fresenius Medical Care. “Since launching the taskforce, we have seen first-hand how this taskforce can reach people who are otherwise unable to get the support and resources they have needed. This is the beginning of what we hope will be an essential part in helping support communities who need the resources to reduce kidney disease.”
The curriculum consists of six self-paced online modules. The course is completed by attending a two-hour, in-person training session.
- Your Kidney and You
- Chronic Kidney Disease Awareness
- Self-Care for Kidney Health
- Disparities and Kidney Disease
- Diagnosis and Treatment
- Coping with Diagnosis, Trauma, and Grief
The first training co-hort is open between July 22 and August 16, 2024. All six modules must be completed during this time frame. The final two-hour in-person session is being held at the IPHA Community Health Worker Summit on August 21 in Springfield, IL. To learn more, visit: https://ipha.com/professional-development/community-health-worker-summit
About Illinois Kidney Care Alliance
The Illinois Kidney Care Alliance is a coalition of organizations, community groups and advocates, health professionals, and businesses from across Illinois banding together to ensure that patients’ needs come first.an organization. The IKCA CHW Task force members include the Illinois Public Health Association, National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, University of Illinois Aging & Diversity Laboratory, Alivio Medical Center, DaVita, Fresenius Medical Care, Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, Illinois Community Health Workers Association, Qsource ESRD Network 10 & 12 and the Rush University Medical Center Kidney Transplant Program.
About Dialysis Patient Citizens
With more than 35,000 patient members, Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) is working to improve the quality of life for all dialysis patients through education and advocacy. We are a nationwide, non-profit, patient-led organization with membership open only to dialysis and pre-dialysis patients and their families. Our policies and our mission are guided solely by our membership.
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