Support Kidney Health in the Bay Area!

Who are we?

We are the Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program (KDSAP) of UC Berkeley! Our organization addresses the issue of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the Bay Area. The services that we provide are open to all, but the populations that we most commonly see and are actively reaching out to are Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinx, and other underserved populations. These communities often have poor access to healthcare and are at a higher risk for kidney disease due to various systemic issues. We aim to help low to moderate-income families as healthcare in the United States is a privilege many cannot afford. As a student organization, we rely on fundraising and community grants in order to carry out our mission. 

CKD is known as a silent killer because its symptoms are undetectable until the final stages of the disease, at which point the damage to patients’ kidneys is irreversible. Due to unequal access to healthcare in the United States, people at risk for CKD are often unaware that they may be at risk until it is too late. Furthermore, dialysis and kidney transplant, the two treatment options for kidney disease, are often unavailable to patients, as it is very difficult to find a match from the transplant list. Dialysis is a costly procedure both in time and money. Our efforts of working towards providing free screenings grant free consultations with physicians to those who may not have access to healthcare services so that they may plan their next steps.

What do we do?

As an organization, we have two primary objectives: to hold free kidney screenings throughout the Bay Area and organize awareness events for the public to learn more about maintaining kidney health. Our work addresses and advances health equity by ensuring that all the services that we provide (e.g. screenings and awareness events) are free and open to everyone. We distribute information about these events to as broad audiences as possible. We make targeted efforts to reach the underserved in our community by working with community centers, churches, and other non-profit organizations to publicize our services to those who need them the most. For our screenings, we partner with physicians who provide one-on-one consultations with patients. We are also mentored by physicians from UCSF who help educate us on kidney health and work with us to organize our screenings.

Our free kidney screenings hold the following stations:

1) Registration

2) Urinalysis

3) Blood Pressure

4) Blood Glucose

5) BMI/Waist-Hip Ratio

6) Nephrologist Consultation

7) Wellness & Nutrition with a Renal Dietician

We are a rapidly growing organization, and in the past years have expanded both the number of screenings we hold per year as well as the locations in which we hold them. We plan to hold 10 screenings a year, but due to the cost of screening supplies in conjunction with advertising, transportation, and other costs, our current sources of funding will not be sufficient to reach this goal. We would greatly appreciate your help as we work towards increasing engagement with the community and making a positive impact on more people’s health.

What will your money go towards?

Your donation will go towards the purchase of supplies such as urinalysis (urine test) machines, gloves, and glucometers (to measure blood sugar) that will allow us to conduct health procedures at our screenings, as well as train the volunteers who staff our screenings. We plan to use funds to print outreach pamphlets and promotional fliers and boost our social media advertisements to publicize our screenings and awareness events to a broader audience. By donating to our organization, you will help provide the public with more information about an often overlooked disease, and will help people all around the Bay Area improve their health!

Stay connected with us:

ucberkeleykdsap.com

Instagram: @berkeleykdsap

#BerkeleyKDSAP