[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 48 (Thursday, April 27, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF LESLEY C. DINWIDDIE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 27, 2006

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Lesley C. Dinwiddie, past-president of the American Nephrology Nurses' 
Association (ANNA), for her compassion, dedication, and pioneering 
contributions to nephrology nursing and kidney patients across the 
country.
  As ANNA's 2004-05 president and a member of the organization for 24 
years, Ms. Dinwiddie has inspired nephrology nurses to reach the 
highest levels of practice and patient care. A visionary leader, she 
has implemented a broad range of initiatives that will continue to 
improve care for patients whose lives depend on dialysis and other 
kidney replacement treatments.
  The rising rates of kidney disease underscore the urgency of Ms. 
Dinwiddie's work: about 20 million Americans suffer from the disease 
today. The number of people diagnosed has doubled each decade for the 
last two decades and will likely continue to do so as Baby Boomers age.
  For those who have lost over 85 percent of their kidney function, a 
condition known as end stage renal disease (ESRD), the only way to stay 
alive is to receive dialysis or a kidney transplant. There are now over 
400,000 people in this country who are being treated for ESRD. Caring 
for these patients calls for highly-trained experts with sophisticated 
knowledge, making nephrology nursing one of the most challenging and 
rewarding nursing specialties practiced today. It is also one of the 
largest; ANNA's membership--now over 12,000--continues to grow each 
year.
  As an ANNA president, Ms. Dinwiddie has led the association to many 
accomplishments. She spearheaded ANNA's advocacy efforts as the 
organizition worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 
(CMS) on such crucial issues as the nursing shortage, the role of the 
advanced practice nurse, and reimbursement for kidney care. She helped 
fuel grassroots advocacy efforts for the Kidney Care Quality and 
Improvement Act, H.R. 1298, of which I am pleased to be a cosponsor. 
This bill would modernize Medicare, advance quality care, and increase 
awareness of kidney disease in local communities.
  Ms. Dinwiddie has also recognized the importance of recruiting and 
retaining nephrology nurses to help ensure the future of the specialty. 
She currently leads ANNA's annual ``Nephrology Nurses Week,'' a 
national campaign that recognizes and celebrates the critical role of 
nephrology nurses in patient care. During another annual event, ``ESRD 
Education Week,'' Ms. Dinwiddie and other nephrology nurses across the 
country invite state and federal legislators to visit dialysis units in 
their districts to learn more about kidney disease and treatments. I 
was pleased to visit the Cary Kidney Center in the congressional 
district I represent in August 2004. Ms. Dinwiddie has also 
expanded ANNA's collaborations with other nursing and kidney-related 
organizations, helping to ensure that the voices of nephrology nurses 
continue to be heard.

  Professionally, Ms. Dinwiddie runs an independent nephrology nursing 
consulting practice in Cary, NC, specializing in vascular access for 
hemodialysis, education, and research. She is a member of the National 
Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative's (K/
DOQI) Vascular Access Subcommittee and CMS's Fistula First Breakthrough 
Initiative. Ms. Dinwiddie is also a reviewer for ANNA's official 
journal, Nephrology Nursing, as well the Dialysis & Transplantation 
journal, and has numerous publications and presentations to her credit. 
She received a Diploma in General Nursing in Australia, a B.A. in 
psychology at the University of Arkansas, and her Masters in Nursing 
Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in commending Lesley Dinwiddie for her 
years of vision, leadership, and commitment.

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