Free Kidney Health Screening in Hornell on Saturday

Elmira, N.Y., November 10–State Senator George Winner (R-C-I, Elmira) and Assemblyman Jim Bacalles (R-C-I, Corning) reminded area residents today that the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Serving Upstate NY will sponsor a free Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) in Hornell on Saturday, November 13, 2010.

The November 13th KEEP screening will be held at the United Methodist Church of Hornell, located at 7528 N. Main Street Ext. (Webbs Crossing), from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  For more information, contact 585-697-0874.

According to the NKF Serving Upstate New York, KEEP is the most comprehensive screening program in the nation.  It’s a free health checkup designed to help identify and educate individuals who are at increased risk of developing kidney disease.  The full screening, which takes approximately 45 minutes, involves a blood pressure reading, cholesterol check, glucose check for diabetes, and blood and urine tests for kidney disease. 

In a joint statement, Winner and Bacalles said, “We’re grateful for this opportunity to help support and promote an incredibly valuable health screening.  Kidney disease is often called the ‘silent killer’ because most people who have the disease aren’t aware of it until it’s reached an advanced stage.  Early detection through health screenings like this one is critical to the effective treatment of the disease, and the quality of life for patients.” 

The NKF Serving Upstate New York encourages anyone 18 years old and older to attend a KEEP screening if they have one or more of the following: diabetes; high blood pressure; or a parent, brother or sister with diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease.

Bacalles and Winner noted that the National Kidney Foundation (www.kidney.org) estimates that approximately 26 million American adults have chronic kidney disease (CDK) and that the vast majority of these adults didn’t know it before being diagnosed through testing.

  
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