The National Forum of ESRD Networks has published their flyer on What Kidney Patients Need to Know about the COVID-19 Vaccine in Spanish. A link to it has been added to the Forum’s web page on Resources & Links for Kidney Patients, along with the English version and many other documents on COVID-19 and CKD. Find it at https://esrdnetworks.org/resources-news/covid-19-information-resources/resources-for-kidney-patients/.
Dialysis Patient Citizens has begun hosting a one-hour Support Group call for CKD patients, at noon PT on the second Tuesday of each month. Find details and register at https://www.dpcedcenter.org/news-events/news/join-us-for-our-new-patient-support-group/. Find more information and a link to a downloadable poster at https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2021/03/02/3-9-new-dpc-telephone-support-group/.
National Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW) is March 14-20, 2021. Some useful resource collections:
March is National Kidney Month, and March 11, 2021 is World Kidney Day. The theme for this year’s World Kidney Day is Living Well with Kidney Disease, aimed toward increasing education and awareness about effective symptom management and patient empowerment, with the ultimate goal of encouraging life participation. Find our more at https://www.worldkidneyday.org/2021-campaign/. This year’s National Kidney Month is focused around taking charge of your health and the many factors that go into managing your kidney disease. Find out more about National Kidney Month at https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/community-health-outreach/national-kidney-month.
The CMS National Training Program’s March 11, 2021 webinar will include a presentation on Medicare for people with ESRD, March updates on Medicare, and National Kidney Month. Register at https://cmsnationaltrainingprogram.cms.gov/moodle/login/index.php.
Dialysis Patient Citizens is initiating a new patient support group via telephone, on the second Tuesday of every month at noon PT. Each call will be facilitated by a person living with CKD and a healthcare practitioner. To join a call, dial 866-808-5953 and enter meeting code 253 841 3353. Find more information at https://www.dpcedcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/DPC-Support-Group-by-Telephone-Flyer-2.pdf and below:
The National Forum of ESRD Networks has assembled from various sources a library of useful factual information for people with kidney disease about COV-19 and the vaccines. Find it at https://esrdnetworks.org/resources-news/covid-19-information-resources/resources-for-kidney-patients/.
The UCLA CORE Kidney Program will present a March 4, 2021 UKEEP webinar on Kidney Disease: What You Should Know. For details and registration, see the poster below, or https://uclahs.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hjcPosQgSieUDGL3CIzAqw. They will also present a March 21, 2021 Virtual Kidney Conference on Educating, Empowering, and Inspiring Hope. Find more information about the Conference, and register, at https://uclahs.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZgPWycdXR_OXq26FbQZp4A.
MEI’s Home Dialysis Central has published a blog post on Medicare Advantage Plan Pros & Cons – and a Fix for Buyers’ Remorse. The post includes a comparison of costs between Medicare Advantage (“MA”) and “Original Medicare,” types of MA plans, advantages and disadvantages of MA plans, and a discussion of how Medigap interacts with each. Find the post at https://homedialysis.org/news-and-research/blog/415-medicare-advantage-plan-pros-&-cons-and-a-fix-for-buyer-remorse.
CMS has also recently added an email bulletin on What Partners Need to Know Now about Health Insurance Coverage during the Pandemic. For basic information the bulletin recommends the CMS COVID-19 Partner Resources page at https://www.cms.gov/outreach-education/partner-resources/coronavirus-covid-19-partner-resources and the HHS COVID Education Campaign page at https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/education-campaign/index.html. It also recommends CDC’s new Community-Based Organizations COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/toolkits/community-organization.html, the February 15 to May 15, 2021 Special Enrollment Period for individuals and families to enroll in the health insurance coverage they need (see https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2021-special-enrollment-period-response-covid-19-emergency), and the CMS Roadmaps to Better Care in up to nine different languages at https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/OMH/equity-initiatives/c2c/consumerresources/roadmap-to-better-care.
AAKP and the Alliance for Gout Awareness will present a February 25, 2021 AAKP HealthLine webinar on The Gout, Nutrition and Kidney Health Connection. Find out more about the HealthLine series at https://aakp.org/aakp-healthline/, and register for the current session at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2611087641103857165.
