West Central Reporter

Passavant Hospital issued the following announcement on May 11.

The Passavant Area Hospital Foundation is partnering with the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois to provide free kidney and diabetes screenings Tuesday, June 5.

Screenings will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the main lobby and meeting rooms. There is no cost, but appointments are encouraged. To schedule an appointment, call 479-5800. A limited number of walk-in appointments are available.

Participants must be 18 years of age or older. Screenings include blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, urinalysis and a blood draw, if necessary. Fasting is not required.

In addition to the free screenings, attendees can talk privately with a healthcare professional about their results and take an educational tour of the Kidney Mobile®. The Kidney Mobile is the nation’s only custom mobile unit that travels across the state screening individuals for kidney disease. Alarmingly, more than 80 percent of people screened were found to have at least one significantly abnormal test result.

Each year, kidney disease kills more people than breast and prostate cancer combined, but while the majority of Americans can recite the common tests for breast and prostate cancer, many do not know the risk factors and tests that could keep them off dialysis and the transplant list. Because kidney disease often develops slowly with few symptoms, it can frequently go undetected until it is very advanced. Simple steps such as controlling blood pressure and blood sugar, keeping weight down, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and avoiding excessive use of pain medicine, can help reduce risk.

“One in 3 American adults is at risk for kidney disease,” said Mara Lidacis, director of Community Health Education with the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. “Our goal is to educate the community about the risks for kidney disease and detect it early so that people can manage the disease and slow its progression.”

To learn more about the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, visit nkfi.org.

Original source can be found here.