Who We Are
The National Kidney Foundation, Inc., a major voluntary health organization, seeks to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increase the availability of all organs for transplantation.
Our Goals
- Supporting Research and Research Training
- Continuing Education of Health Care Professionals
- Expanding Patient Services and Community Resources
- Educating the Public
- Shaping Health Policy
- Fund Raising
The NKF Serving East Tennessee, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit health organization.
Our Mission
Mission Statement:
The mission of the National Kidney Foundation is to enhance the lives of everyone with, at risk of or affected by kidney disease.
From the beginning, the Foundation's purpose in East Tennessee was to help the many victims of kidney disease. Education efforts quickly followed, to help people understand the disease and its early warning signs. Since then, thousands of individual patients have been helped and hundreds of thousands of brochures have been distributed to the public.
Our History
The NKF Serving East Tennessee dates back to April 15, 1970 when a meeting was held at Ft. Sanders Presbyterian Hospital to form a Knoxville Chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Tennessee. Two years later, the National Kidney Foundation decided to break the Tennessee affiliate into three parts, and the NKF Serving East Tennessee was born.
Things were very different in those days. A person living in Knoxville whose kidneys failed had to travel to Nashville for dialysis. A clinic wasn't available in the area until 1974. Today, there are dozens of clinics in East Tennessee, not including those at hospitals.
Who We Serve
The local affiliate of the NKF Serving East Tennessee was organized in 1970 to help those in our area, a 34-county region, battling kidney disease. We are the major health agency devoted exclusively to kidney disease.
Click on the picture below to access our list of counties served by the NKF Serving East Tennessee!
Providing services to patients is one of the major goals of the NKF Serving East Tennessee. Through the local Patient Services Committee and the staff, the needs of kidney patients are assessed and programs are developed to address their needs and concerns. Patient services are a very visible and personal way of communicating that the NKF Serving East Tennessee cares. In East Tennessee, over 2,500 people have to take dialysis treatments to stay alive. Many more are at risk. More than $100,000 will be spent this year helping patients with programs including the ID jewelry program, the Transportation and Emergency Assistance programs, and social events including the annual Patient Picnic. And those dollars don't even include the brochures, newsletters and educational opportunities given to patients in the area.
The NKF's ultimate hope is to eradicate kidney disease altogether! Until that time arrives, patients need services and support, and The NKF Serving East Tennessee will be there to help in any way possible.
What we do
PATIENT SERVICES
The many Patient Services programs of our Affiliate assist hundreds of men, women and children each month with much needed assistance. These services include Transportation, Nutritional supplements, ID jewelry, Dental assistance, Patient Picnic, Transplant Games and much more.
EDUCATION (See more on education here. )
Each year, the Education and Community Services programs completes hundreds of presentations and health fairs. Speakers travel to classrooms across East Tennessee to speak with students, or speak to civic clubs and other groups. Health fairs provide a chance to put thousands of pieces of literature into the hands of those with questions about kidney disease. The KEEP program provides screening and helps people learn if they have early stages of kidney disease. If kidney disease is caught , it can often be delayed or avoided.
THE FUTURE
PROBLEMS ON THE HORIZON - Before the 1960s, anyone whose kidneys failed simply died. Today, people can live for many years on dialysis and each year, more and more people receive transplants. But, there are difficulties ahead, even with the advances of medicine.
- The number of people getting kidney disease is growing. 26 million U.S. adults, or 1 in 9 Americans, have some form of kidney disease.
- Another 20 million are at risk. Kidney disease is also the ninth leading cause of death in the United States.
- With an increase in the rates of diabetes and high blood pressure, the two leading causes of kidney disease, it is estimated that 2 MILLION Americans will suffer from kidney disease by 2030.
- Kidney failure is expensive, costing more each year. CKD accounts for 6.4% of all Medicare expenditures. The average cost for a hemodialysis patient on Medicare is $71,889.
SOLUTIONS
While the NKF Serving East Tennessee will always strive to help those with kidney disease, that's not enough. Education is becoming even more important. There are several key messages that must be carried.
- Organ donation is essential. The quality of life is usually better for those with transplants than for those on dialysis. But, there aren't enough transplants to go ahead. The Foundation must continue its efforts to encourage donation.
- People need to find out early if they are at risk. Very often, those who will develop serious kidney disease can slow it or avoid it entirely. This message is even more important among most minority communities, since they have even higher rates of kidney disease.
- Research must continue. Part of the money collected by every Kidney Foundation affiliate in the nation goes towards research.
Accolades
The NKF Serving East Tennessee was recently given five awards by our National office for excellence in the following:
Health Policy Development — for our public policy initiatives regarding the passing of Senate Bill No. 521 and House Bill No. 368 and for partnering with the Middle and West TN affiliates on the statewide nutrition supplement grant.
Patient and Community Services — for our Patient Services Programs
Public Education — for our school education programs, KEEPs and our website.
Fundraising — for our Kidney Cars Program
Professional Education — for our 19th Annual Renal Symposium
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Worth Magazine ranked the NKF a "Top 100 Charity!" Specifically, they ranked the National Kidney Foundation one of the top health-based charities. |
The NKF Serving East Tennessee was selected out of the 50 NKF affiliates across the country to receive an Affiliate Award for Comprehensive Excellence in Patient and Community Services. Way to go NKF Serving East Tennessee!
| Our website was selected as a featured site in Lightspan's StudyWeb® as one of the best educational resources on the Web. |  |
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The NKF received an impressive "A" rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy based on level of fund raising cost and percentage of donations (the highest grade given)! For the esteemed group who made A's, they successfully managed their way to the top ranks of all non-profit institutions! |
| Congratulations National Kidney Foundation! | |
Our Founder
On November 15, 1950, Mr. and Mrs. Harry DeBold called the first meeting of the Committee for Nephrosis Research. Several months earlier, Mrs. DeBold’s infant son was stricken with nephrosis, a condition of which little was known and for which little could be done. Her determination not to succumb to the grim reality of her son’s disease and her affluence and wealth were important elements which led to the formation of the inaugural lay group destined to becomeThe National Kidney Foundation. The Ada DeBold Society was created to help ensure the philanthropic future of the NKF in honor of Mrs. Ada U. DeBold.
By sharing their financial resources and publicly expressing their support, members of The Ada DeBold Society address NKF’s mission to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increase the availability of all organs for transplantation. This framework of support helps the NKF plan for the present and look to the future. More information about The Ada DeBold Society.
