[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 156 (Friday, September 10, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





          RECOGNIZING AMERICAN KIDNEY FUND'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JAMIE RASKIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 10, 2021

  Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the American 
Kidney Fund (AKF) for its outstanding leadership in the fight against 
kidney disease. AKF is located in Rockville, in Maryland's 8th 
District, and I am proud to be AKF's Representative in Congress. This 
year marks the organization's 50th anniversary and I invite my 
colleagues to join me in recognizing AKF's five decades of work.
  AKF was founded in 1971 by a group of people who came together to 
help pay for a neighbor's lifesaving dialysis treatment, and in the 50 
years since, AKF has become a well-known and widely-respected 
charitable organization that is dedicated to meeting the needs of 
people affected by kidney disease. AKF is the nation's leading 
independent nonprofit advocating on behalf of the 37 million Americans 
with kidney disease. AKF's vision is a world without kidney disease--
but until then, AKF will do everything in its power to ensure that 
every kidney patient has access to health care, and that every person 
at risk for kidney disease has the knowledge and resources to help 
prevent it.
  AKF notes that it touches more lives than any other kidney 
organization, with programs of prevention, early detection, and direct 
financial assistance that enable the nation's low-income dialysis and 
transplant patients to access lifesaving medical care, disease 
management support, clinical research, innovation and advocacy 
resources. The American Kidney Fund plays a leading role in educating 
and informing the American people about kidney disease, raising public 
awareness about the fact that many cases of kidney disease are 
preventable, and spreading the message that when it is detected early, 
kidney disease can often be managed and its progression slowed.
  Recognizing that advanced kidney disease disproportionately affects 
minority populations, AKF and its 16,000 Ambassadors have been longtime 
advocates for these patients and their communities. One area of focus 
for the organization has been to educate the public about the 
importance of increasing the participation of minority populations in 
clinical trials, which are critical to developing better treatments for 
conditions like kidney disease. Minority populations have historically 
been underrepresented in these trials, and AKF is dedicated to changing 
that.
  AKF also assists low-income dialysis patients and people who have 
recently received a kidney transplant, providing financial assistance 
through Safety Net Grants, Disaster Relief Grants, Health Insurance 
Premium Program Grants and Coronavirus Emergency Grants. AKF has worked 
to address longstanding health disparities in the United States and 
advance health equity so that all of us are as healthy as possible.
  Madam Speaker, on the occasion of AKF's 50th anniversary, I urge my 
colleagues to join me in recognizing the American Kidney Fund's 
unsurpassed leadership in the fight to end kidney disease.

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