44 Communities Benefit from DCI Purpose Projects

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Sept. 23, 2013 - PRLog -- More than 2,100 people received free blood sugar and blood pressure screenings as a result of the Purpose Projects hosted by Dialysis Clinic, Inc. (DCI) in 44 cities around the US. Nearly 4,000 individuals received education ranging from chronic kidney disease prevention, treatment options for kidney failure, emergency preparedness and the need for organ donation. Over $14,000 was raised to provide support to dialysis related community programs.

The Purpose Projects empowered DCI staff to take action regarding a need they identified in their community by providing $5,000 in funding and corporate support.

“As a non-profit service organization, DCI is committed to the care of the patient. While we provide high quality care to patients in our dialysis centers, we also feel it is important to reach out and make a difference in the lives of people who are at-risk or suffering from chronic kidney disease in our communities,” states Jessica Emler, DCI Public Information.

Teams of DCI employees volunteered their time to complete a Purpose Project. 35 teams completed projects in 44 cities around the US.

The community is asked to vote for The Best Overall Purpose Project. Information about each Project is found online at www.dciinc.org/purposeproject

The Purpose Projects addressed needs ranging from chronic kidney disease education to transplant support groups, to professional education and fundraising efforts. Many communities will see continued benefits from the local Purpose Project.

DCI Social Worker, Judy Widlowski, says, “We partnered with a local high school, The Military Magnet Academy, to hold our Purpose Project, The Kidney County Fair Event.  The chef from their culinary arts department worked with our dialysis Dietitian to produce a dialysis friendly barbeque menu that his students could prepare.  A wonderful outcome, as a result of this partnership, is that the chef at the high school wants to incorporate special population diets into his school curriculum next year and would like our renal dietitian to work with him on this.  We’ll be bringing to the students of this community an on-going education on kidney disease!”

“Our team, The Zipa Dee Doo Dah’s, held a fundraiser for The Black-Lockett-Scarbrough Fund. This fund is one of the largest resources in our community to financially assist dialysis patients, having paid $29,430 from 2012-2013 toward dialysis patient needs in the Chattahoochie Valley area. Resources for dialysis patients are very limited and we appreciate the opportunity to hold the fundraiser and plan to continue this for many years to come,” says Jessica Waters, DCI Social Worker in Columbus, GA.

The Purpose Project responded to a wide range of needs. The diverse projects covered several areas, including:

Professional education-

Vein preservation education with vascular access awareness posters and vascular access reminder bracelets distributed to hospitals
Chronic kidney disease identification and prevention through a professionally recorded music CD of cover songs with chronic kidney disease facts interspersed between the songs delivered to health care professionals
Dietetic education provided by Web-ex to renal dieticians
Dialysis techniques taught to other healthcare professionals (including long-term care facilities)

Emergency Preparedness- Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops educated about chronic kidney disease and how to prepare for emergencies. Creation of 400 emergency preparedness kits for five counties in central and northern Missouri

Transplant Education- Group meeting between transplant recipients, donors and experts to provide CKD patients with the valuable resource of peer support, open communication between professionals and patients, and alleviation of fears by answering questions

Health screenings- Free blood pressure and glucose checks to increase the awareness of individual health and risk factors for kidney disease in 21 cities

Chronic kidney disease education-

Interactive educational booth for nutrition showcasing gardens, created and distributed 1700 personal garden ‘Grow Kits’
Art project for kidney awareness among high school students using art to address kidney disease

Dialysis patient support-

Fundraising dinner for the Black-Lockett-Scarbrough Fund which supplements dialysis patients needs in the Chattahoochie Valley (Columbus, GA) area.
Grocery store shopping tours to educate patients about reading labels and making better nutritional choices
Education support meetings for dialysis patient peer mentoring
Community dances and carnivals that provided safe and realistic ways to increase activity levels and improve personal health

Learn more about The Purpose Projects at www.dciinc.org/purposeproject.

Healthcare professionals interested in more information about a Project can contact DCI by e-mailing Information@dciinc.org.