Each year, advocates from kidney organizations across the country join together for the annual Kidney Patient Summit, organized and led by the National Kidney Foundation.
#MyKidneyVoice
Voices for Kidney Health advocates educate Members of Congress and their staff about the importance of protecting living organ donors; increasing funds for federal kidney disease awareness, education, and research programs; and increasing access to home dialysis.
Each year, NKF presents the Richard K. Salick Advocacy Award to an outstanding kidney patient advocate. This prestigious award is given to an individual who embodies the spirit of NKF’s dear friend and former colleague, Rich Salick, who underwent three kidney transplants and faced cancer but still put the needs of other kidney patients ahead of his own.
In February 2019, Beth began testing to be a kidney donor for a neighbor’s son. During the process to be confirmed as a donor match, she found that her home state of Kentucky lacked any bills for living organ donors. She has been fighting to improve both state and federal policy for kidney patients ever since.
Honoring our Congressional Kidney Champions
Congressional Honorees
Our Congressional Awards Reception is held in conjunction with our Patient Summit. Last year’s event honored two outstanding champions in the fight against kidney disease: Reps. Bobby Rush (IL) and Jason Smith (MO). Our honorees are leaders in the fight against kidney disease, consistently championing legislation to improve the lives of kidney patients and living donors nationwide.