We are still fighting for you

Dear Friend,

Just like you, all of us at AKF are adjusting to a new way of life as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread. We are monitoring the situation as it unfolds and are working quickly to identify new opportunities to help patients and their families, and the medical professionals who care for them. Here is an update on the steps we have taken to respond during this time of crisis.

• On Monday, March 23, we opened the AKF Coronavirus Emergency Fund, which provides $250 one-time grants to patients affected by the coronavirus. Demand for this program was incredible and we quickly depleted our funding. We are urgently identifying additional sources of funding to replenish the program. Please consider making a gift today so that we can provide grants to the 2,000+ low-income dialysis and recent transplant patients on the waiting list. Patients may still apply through their social workers, transplant coordinators or our Grants Management System; we will approve applications in the order in which they are received as new funding becomes available.
  
  
• AKF sent numerous letters urging federal lawmakers to protect kidney patients in the COVID-19 bill. We, as part of a coalition of dozens of patient organizations, are still working to make sure that the needs of vulnerable patients are met. Read our advocacy and comment letters here.
  
  
• We have expanded our Kidney Today blog to include important information and tips for kidney patients affected by coronavirus. Our recent posts about kidney-friendly eating, telehealth expansion and the impact of coronavirus on kidney transplants are available now for patients, caregivers and the general public.

As we face this challenge together, AKF is here for you. Please visit our website for regular updates and important resources to help you and your family stay healthy during this time.


LaVarne A. Burton
President and CEO
American Kidney Fund

Visit our website for program updates and resources. >>

We'd like to take a moment to recognize and thank the nephrologists, nurses, technicians, social workers, dietitians, managers, administrators and all the other dialysis clinic staff who are working tirelessly to provide health care and support to patients during this challenging time. Thank you for all that you do!

The American Kidney Fund has compiled a list of resources for kidney patients who are affected by the coronavirus pandemic. This guide includes the phone numbers of dialysis company patient helplines, links to preparedness articles, lists of organizations that can help with food and medicine, bill payment assistance information and much more.

Download the complete Patient Resource Guide >>

We’ve been talking to nephrologists, transplant surgeons and dialysis clinic personnel to keep up with the unprecedented health crisis our country is facing. Because people living with kidney failure are at increased risk of serious illness if they become infected with the coronavirus, we have taken all the advice we are hearing and broken it down into five important reminders.

Read the 5 urgent reminders on Kidney Today >>

Some hospitals around the country are making the difficult decision to postpone kidney transplants in light of the rapidly spreading coronavirus, which threatens to overwhelm our health care system.

While this news may be devastating to patients who are on the waiting list or have a living donor, it's important to understand the medical reasoning behind the decisions.

3 reasons the coronavirus pandemic is affecting kidney transplants >>