Hernandez co-sponsors Free Diabetes & Kidney Screening for public

March 25, 2014 | Filed under: News,State | Posted by: admin +

Hernandez co-sponsors Free Diabetes & Kidney Screening for public 5.00/5 (100.00%) 1 vote

Hernandez co-sponsors Free Diabetes & Kidney Screening for public

State Rep. Lisa Hernandez hosted a free kidney and diabetes screenings at a health fair Saturday, March 22, at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn.

Hernandez partnered with the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois and MacNeal Hospital, and also with State Rep. Mike Zalewski and State Senator Steve Landek to host the fair which will also provide a variety of local health vendors including the Illinois Department of Public Health and PAV YMCA.

The screenings were conducted by the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois KidneyMobile®, the nation’s only custom mobile unit that travels across the state screening individuals for kidney disease and its main causes, diabetes and high blood pressure. Kidney screenings were conducted in the KidneyMobile® at MacNeal Hospital.

The screenings and fair participation was free.

“Right now one in three American adults is at risk for kidney disease,” said Mara Lidacis, Director of Community Health Education with the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. “Our goal is to educate the community about the risks for kidney disease and detect it early so that people can manage the disease and slow its progression.”

Hernandez said that In addition to a free screening, attendees also were able to talk privately with a nurse or doctor about their screening results, receive additional health services such as eye and foot screenings, and were given a tour of the KidneyMobile®.

To date, the KidneyMobile® has screened nearly 40,000 people in Illinois. Unfortunately, 75 percent of people screened had at least one significantly abnormal test result.