Whatcom County has set an ambitious healthcare goal: Eliminate our kidney transplant waitlist by 2030.
Want to learn more about this moonshot effort? Register to attend a forum on becoming a Living Kidney Donor, April 26th at Squalicum Boathouse from 12 to 2:00 PM. Visit the Mount Baker Foundation website to register for the event that includes free lunch.
For an informative write up on kidney failure, also known as End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), refer to this article in The Northern Light newspaper. The author is Dr. William Lombard, a retired nephrologist and past medical director of the Mt. Baker Kidney Center. Here are a few key points:
- One in three American adults is at risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD)
- Approximately 170 patients with kidney failure in Whatcom County are on dialysis
- Dialysis treatments typically take place three times a week for a four-hour session
- The best treatment option for many patients is an organ transplant from a living donor
- In the Pacific Northwest, the typical wait time for a kidney transplant is three to five years
As Dr. Lombard says, “living donors are hard to come by – we can change that. Let’s become the first county in the nation to eliminate the kidney transplant waiting list.”
