Outreach program continues to raise awareness and provide free CKD screenings in rural communities.
Challenging financial times have resulted in more lay-offs, fewer jobs opportunities and reduced health care resources for many residents in North Carolina’s rural, under-served communities. The Kidney Education Outreach Program (KEOP) has been busier than ever as it continues to raise awareness and provide free CKD screening to at-risk persons in rural communities with high rates of end-stage kidney disease.
The KEOP conducted activities in 17 counties through the summer and early fall of 2009. Community-based health fairs, churches, the Piedmont drag strip, community health centers, senior centers, and/or dialysis clinics were host sites for screenings and/or CKD awareness sessions. Host counties for these activities included Alamance, Bertie, Cabarrus, Chatham, Duplin, Guilford, Halifax, Johnston, Lenoir, Moore, Northampton, Orange, Rockingham, Stanly, Wake, Washington and Wilson Counties. As KEOP’s community partnerships flourish, awareness about CKD and the importance of early intervention grows.