Home Dialyzors United to Partner with American Kidney Fund, to Host Dialysis at
Home Summit. The one-day virtual, free summit will feature inspiring speakers,
community leaders and dialysis experts.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nieltje Gedney, Executive Director
304.279.3192
Washington DC— Home Dialyzors United (HDU) has partnered with the American
Kidney Fund (AKF) to host Dialysis at Home, a virtual free summit on Sept. 15 that will
bring the late-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD), end-stage kidney disease (ESKD),
and dialysis communities together for a series of sessions about home dialysis.
Sponsored by Satellite Healthcare and Outset Medical, the summit will give participants
the opportunity to hear from and learn with patients, advocates, caregivers and health
professionals about home dialysis options, quality of life benefits and ways to achieve
goals while on dialysis.
The one-day summit is designed for anyone seeking to learn more about home dialysis,
including people who are new to dialysis and their families, people managing late-stage
CKD and providers who are looking to help their patients better understand the pros and
cons of different dialysis types. One of the main benefits of home dialysis is that it gives
people with kidney failure more freedom to work, travel or do other activities without
worrying about scheduling dialysis appointments at a center. Home dialysis also can
result in better quality of life, lower risk of infection, expanded diet and more
employment options.
Speakers at the summit will cover various topics related to home dialysis, including the
basics of receiving dialysis at home, treatments, self-advocacy tactics for patients
exploring the home option and health equity issues affecting patient care. The summit
will feature interactive sessions to help participants engage with the material.
“While home dialysis is growing in popularity, it is still widely underused, with just over
12 percent of all dialysis patients dialyzing at home,” said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF
President and CEO. “Black and Latino patients are even less likely than their white
peers to utilize home dialysis, in part due to a lack of awareness. 'The Dialysis at Home'
summit will be a great learning opportunity for anyone looking to evaluate their kidney
treatment options, as well as a chance to connect and network with people who are
facing the same decisions and challenges. We’re proud to partner with Home Dialyzors
United on this important event, and we look forward to welcoming people at the virtual
summit.”
More than 800,000 people in the U.S. have kidney failure, nearly 570,000 of whom are
on dialysis. By the end of 2017, there were more than 62,000 U.S. patients dialyzing at
home.
“Home Dialyzors United has been advocating about the benefits of home dialysis since
2006,” said Nieltje Gedney, Executive Director of Home Dialyzors United. “We are
thrilled that it has finally gained credence within the renal community. As long-time
supporters of the American Kidney Fund, we are delighted to be collaborating with them
on this event.”
Event lead sponsor Outset Medical is quoted as saying “At Outset, we are focused on
democratizing dialysis by expanding where and when patients can dialyze by meeting
them where they are — at home —on their own schedule,” said Leslie Trigg, Chair and
Chief Executive Officer of Outset. “The Dialysis at Home summit is helping to do exactly
that by spreading knowledge about home dialysis options to kidney disease patients
and their families across the country. The event's programming will include several
people sharing their experiences treating on the Tablo Hemodialysis System, which was
designed to make it easier and more accessible for patients to take advantage of the
safety, convenience and flexibility of dialyzing at home.”
Our other event lead sponsor, Satellite Health care, has this to say: “Increasing
awareness and education of the benefits of dialyzing at home is imperative to greater
adoption of the treatment option. Satellite Healthcare’s Home Therapies program, led by
Graham Abra, M.D., and his team, is a national leader demonstrating a greater than
20% utilization of home therapies across our patient population. We are pleased to be a
part of this virtual event, which brings together like-minded partners and creates access
to information and available technology that hopefully creates a path for patients and
physicians." said Jeff Goffman, Chief Executive Officer, Satellite Healthcare.
About Home Dialyzors United
Home Dialyzors United is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which is the largest patient
and care partner organization dedicated to home dialysis in the nation. Our mission is to
inspire, inform and advocate for an extraordinary quality of life for the dialyzor
community.
For more information, please visit www.homedialyzorsunited.org or connect with us on