Bay Area Association of Kidney Patients

EDUCATION AND SUPPORT FOR BAY AREA KIDNEY PATIENTS

The Bay Area Association of Kidney Patients was founded in 2007. The organization is comprised of a core group of kidney patients and ancillary professionals. Their mission is to educate and support Bay Area Kidney Patients.

Members and clients include people with all stages of kidney disease.  Including End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), and persons who require and are currently on dialysis and transplant recipients.   The organization conducts three educational meetings per year.  These meetings are very well attended by 75-125 people at each event.  The organization also publishes three newsletters each year. The newsletter is distributed to approximately 1300 patients, doctors, dialysis and transplant centers and other interested parties such as Health Fairs.

BAAKP ACCOMPLISHMENTS – 2007 TO PRESENT

• We hold 3 general educational meetings per year at the PAMF in Palo Alto with physicians, medical professionals and even patients themselves as speakers, covering topics such as hypertension, diabetic kidney disease, dialysis, transplant, the kidney diet, and understanding your laboratory tests. Our initial event in 2007 drew 30 persons at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City and our most recent event at the PAMF had over 100 interested attendees.
• These General Educational Presentations are videotaped and included on our website www.baakp.org for those unable to attend or to want to review the speakers’ talks.
• We publish an 8 page newsletter, Kidney Konnections, three times a year.   It is mailed to our mailing list of over 500 patients and families who are on our membership list, as well as to social workers, nephrologists, past speakers and other interested parties. It is also emailed to about 1300 on our membership list.
• Our website provides information on our upcoming events, videos of past speakers, copies of past newsletters, and general information about kidney disease.
• We conduct biennial surveys, created to determine the interests and needs of our members.
• We received an award from the national organization American Association of Kidney Patients, designating BAAKP as the best support group in the county.
• We conduct regular outreach programs, attending events in the greater Bay Area to meet with Health Fair attendees, disperse literature and discuss kidney disease.
• We have regular small (about 15-20 persons) support group meetings 6 times a year at the PAMF in Palo Alto and in the East Bay in Oakland.
• We have both Facebook and Twitter pages with regular entries of interest to kidney patients from publications around the world.

THE HISTORY OF THE BAY AREA ASSOCIATION OF KIDNEY PATIENTS

The Bay Area Association of Kidney Patients (BAAKP) was founded by a small group of Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) kidney patients, interested professionals, friends and family members in the summer of 2007. This nucleus group, representing all stages of kidney disease, felt there was limited support for those facing a diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease and the prospect of eventual renal replacement therapies. The organization has monthly Board Meetings and operates under by-laws. There is a Board of Directors presently numbering 12 well-qualified patients, family members, community representatives and professionals.

The Bay Area Association of Kidney Patients (BAAKP) is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization with the mission to educate and support those affected by kidney disease, both patients and caregivers.

Mailing address: 887 Sonoma Ave, #23, Santa Rosa, CA 95404