News & Events
Discover new information and educational offerings that we provide. Explore our newsletters, blogs and upcoming webinars/conference calls.
Contents:
Recipe of the Month: Creamy Homemade Mac & Cheese
July's recipe is a classic side dish and the perfect answer for what to bring to BBQs, pool parties, and potlucks: Creamy Homemade Mac & Cheese.
Anxiety
ANXIETY is a word that most people do not want to think about or talk about. Anxiety in renal patients is very common. The important thing is to tell your medical provider(s) exactly how you feel on a day-to-day basis. There are methods to help a renal patient (and others) to cope with anxiety, which is why you should consult a medical professional. It is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. You did not choose to get anxiety, but you can choose to get help if that is your desire. The following informaiton has been compiled from DaVita (www.davita.com) and The Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.org). (Retrieved from www.davita.com) Anxiety and Dialysis By DaVita® Social Worker Rob [...]
DPC Education Center Adopts New AI Policy
To protect patient privacy and maintain the confidentiality of member discussions, the DPC Education Center has adopted a policy restricting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) meeting notetakers. Member privacy takes precedence over convenience and automation, and participants must be able to engage openly without concern that their conversations are being recorded, transcribed, analyzed, or retained by AI systems. Therefore, the use of Otter and any substantially similar application or service is prohibited during all DPC Education Center activities. We thank our members and community at large for adhering to this new policy and creating a safe space for kidney patients.
Innovation Isn’t Enough: A Dialysis Patient’s Case for Real Access
Pesh Patel, DPC Patient Ambassador In 2017, I was visiting Melbourne, Australia as part of my career as a global hospitality executive. While walking around the city, I suddenly had to stop four separate times over the course of just three city blocks because I couldn’t breathe. I thought I was out of shape. What I didn’t know was that I had been living with a single kidney since birth, and that kidney was functioning at 2%. If I hadn’t gone to the ER when I did, I would have died within 20 hours. Two hours later, I was in the ICU on a 24-hour dialysis machine. It was the first time I [...]
Patient Stories are the “Secret Sauce”
Elizabeth Lively, DPC Eastern Region Advocacy Director Pamela Zielske, DPC Western Region Advocacy Director Does advocacy have a “secret sauce” for success? Are there tactics and tools that an organization needs to consider as strategies are developed to get legislation passed? What does success look like? How does optimism and the cumulative impact of advocacy work impact positive outcomes? Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) began a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) campaign in 2022 supporting legislation in the states to provide premium protected Medigap coverage to ESRD patients under-age 65. This campaign supports DPCs goals of improved financial security, increased patient choice and access to kidney transplantation. DPC Board Member Arthur Hill (right) [...]
Challenges, Opportunities, and Innovation in End Stage Kidney Disease and Transplantation
Dr. Velma Scantlebury, MD, FACS, GCM, DPC Education Center Health Care Consultant Over 90,000 patients sit on dialysis awaiting kidney transplantation, and thousands more are on some form of dialysis modality, with the hope of maintaining life without a kidney transplant. From chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end stage kidney disease (ESKD) there are significant challenges for both patients and healthcare providers, including delays in the onset of dialysis, complications associated with dialysis, limited access to donor organs and the need for lifelong immunosuppression following transplantation. Additionally, socioeconomic disparities and geographic barriers often impact the quality and availability of care. A. Innovations in CKD 1. GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: Improving Kidney and Cardiovascular [...]
Kidney Innovators Highlight New Therapies, Medicare Challenges at Congressional Hearing
Jackson Williams, DPC Vice President of Public Policy On March 18, 2026, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health held a hearing titled “Improving Kidney Health Through Better Prevention and Innovative Treatment”. This hearing allowed patients, providers, and other stakeholders to highlight the struggles many kidney patients face and the barriers that prevent them from accessing better, innovative treatment. This was exciting for kidney care advocates, as challenges have mounted since Congress last addressed kidney health in 2008. Better still, the questions from Members of Congress demonstrated that committee leaders understand those challenges and potential solutions. They are knowledgeable about these issues in large part because patients have shared their experiences and [...]
Innovation, Hope, and the Gift of a Second Chance – A Gift That Rewrites a Life
C. Andre’ Daniels, DPC Patient Ambassador Hope is not passive. It is not a soft sentiment or wishful thinking. For patients living with End-Stage Renal Disease, hope is often an act of discipline. It is the decision to keep going through the fatigue, the uncertainty, the appointments, the waiting, and the fear. It is the choice to believe that even in the face of illness--innovation, faith, and human generosity can come together to rewrite a life. I know this because I have lived it. When I woke up after my kidney transplant, I knew immediately that my life had changed. What I did not yet fully understand was how profoundly that gift would [...]
Dialysis patients are missing out on new therapies due to Medicare’s ESRD payment structure
Quiana Bishop, DPC Board President While dialysis treatments sustain life for people with kidney failure, they cannot replace all of the many functions of a healthy kidney. Patients rely on medications to address certain symptoms. As of January 1, 2025, all of these medications are included in the ESRD prospective payment system bundle and dialysis facilities are given the responsibility of dispensing them. This arrangement saves money for Medicare, but it does so by creating a profile for an “average patient” and discouraging expenditures on anyone else. As we know, there’s no such thing as an “average” patient, with the result that innovative treatments developed for those who need extra, are not getting [...]
Hope, Innovation, and Life Reimagined
Albert Bailey Brisbane III, DPC Patient Ambassador I was a teenager when I first heard the word dialysis. In 1981, my father suddenly became critically ill while at work and was rushed to the hospital, where he passed away two weeks later. I remember being told that he refused dialysis. I didn’t know what dialysis was, only that my hero was gone forever. Years later, I heard that word again — dialysis. This time, it was my mother. Her experience came suddenly, and she began emergency dialysis in the hospital. In that moment, my sister and I didn’t think about treatment. We thought about death because that had been our only reference point. [...]
High-Volume Hemodiafiltration: Understanding a Dialysis Treatment Approach
Dr. Stefano Stuard, MD, PhD, Nephrologist Dr. Michael Anger, MD, Nephrologist Overview: Hemodiafiltration (HDF) is a type of dialysis that cleans the blood using two cleaning processes: diffusion and convection. Standard hemodialysis mainly relies on diffusion alone. Diffusion and convection remove waste in different ways. Diffusion helps remove smaller waste products, while convection helps move larger waste substances out of the blood. Using both processes allows for a broader range of waste removal during treatment. High-volume hemodiafiltration refers to HDF treatments that use a larger amount of clean, sterile replacement fluid during the dialysis session, as described in clinical studies. This fluid is carefully prepared and monitored. HDF does [...]
Living with Purpose: My Journey of Strength, Advocacy, and Hope
Quiana Bishop, DPC Board President Ten years ago, I found myself stepping into a dialysis center for the first time. I was uncertain, overwhelmed, and scared. Kidney failure had suddenly become part of my story. But from day one, I made a decision: this diagnosis would not define me. I was going to keep living and keep finding joy wherever I could. I was raised in Chicago and now call Detroit home. My journey with kidney disease is deeply personal - not just because I live with it, but because I watched my father battle it too. He was on dialysis and received multiple kidney transplants. I learned what resilience looked like. [...]
Living Donor Changes
What is living donation? We hear about this often but may not know what it means. This occurs when a healthy person donates (our focus will be a kidney) a kidney to someone who needs a transplant (Directed Donation). Nondirected Donation occurs when the recipient may not know the donor; it can be done anonymously (Nondirected Donation), or Paired Donation when there are two donors and two recipients who need kidneys. They “swap” because the intended donor and recipient are more compatible with the other donor and recipient. This article focuses on the changes in the living donor process. It is necessary to consult with your respective provider(s) as you consider this process. Your questions [...]
The Kidney Citizen Issue 23
Welcome to the Innovation and Empowerment issue of the Kidney Citizen! The DPC Education Center is excited to share with you this latest issue that is all about expanding treatment options, staying hopeful through the journey, and advocating for new and innovative therapies to help kidney patients live their best lives.
Recipe of the Month: Mediterranean Chicken Pasta
June’s recipe makes good use of all the fresh summer veggies that are starting to pop up at the store for a light, flavorful meal that’s perfect for lunch or dinner: Mediterranean Chicken Pasta.
What Treatment Option Do You Use?
A kidney transplant is the best possible treatment option for patients with kidney failure. If you aren’t eligible for a kidney transplant though, or if you are awaiting a kidney from a living or deceased donor, you will need dialysis. When it comes to treating kidney failure with dialysis, you have certain options. From dialyzing at home to getting treated at a center, research which one could better suit your lifestyle. DPC does not endorse treatments, practitioners, medicine, or brands; however, we aim to provide an overview of dialysis treatment options, both in and out of a treatment center. The following information is retrieved from The Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.org) and Fresenius Medical Care (https://freseniusmedicalcare.com/en-us/). [...]
Recipe of the Month: Deviled Eggs
May’s recipe is a classic crowd pleaser and easily scalable, making it perfect for your first outdoor gathering: Deviled Eggs
Muffins Sorpresa de Limón y Arándanos Azules
Receta de Fanny Sung Whelan, MS, RDN, LDN Tiempo de preparación: 10 min Tiempo de cocción: 10 min Tiempo total: 20 min Porciones: 9 Ingredientes: • 3 huevos medianos • 3 cucharadas aceite • ¼ taza crema espesa para batir (heavy cream) • 1 ¼ tazas de proteína en polvo de suero de leche (whey) con sabor vainilla • 2 cucharaditas polvo para hornear • 5 sobres de Splenda (o endulzante de tu preferencia) • ¼ cucharadita canela • 1 cucharada ralladura de limón • ½ taza arándanos azules (blueberries) • 3 oz queso crema, cortado en 9 cubos Instrucciones: Precalienta el horno a 375°F. Prepara un molde para 9 muffins con envolturas de [...]
National Minority Health Month and National Donate Life Month
Both events are celebrated in April and are designed to bring awareness about various illnesses and encourage individuals to concentrate on maintaining healthy lifestyles. When individuals are in tune with their bodies, this may help to identify and/or prevent a potential bigger problem. Awareness and education are essential when medical issues arise! Ask questions, stay informed—be encouraged! The following information is retrieved from Black Health Matters (www.blackhealthmatters.com) and Donate Life America (www.donatelife.net). National Minority Health Month (Retrieved from: www.blackhealthmatters.com) What is National Minority Health Month? Observed every April, National Minority Health Month (NMHM) calls attention to and works to eliminate disparities in access to healthcare and health outcomes in underserved communities across the United [...]
Recipe of the Month: Lemon Blueberry Surprise Muffins
April’s recipe is the perfect sweet-tart treat to welcome the sunny days of spring: Lemon Blueberry Surprise Muffins.
