DaVita Dialysis Center of Cartersville hosted Transplant Education Days on Tuesday and Wednesday to help raise awareness about the options available for those experiencing kidney failure.
The event was created in conjunction with the Southeastern Kidney Council, an organization dedicated to the improvement of the lives of people with end-stage renal disease. Those with ESRD are unable to live without special treatment or a transplant. DaVita Social Worker Jacqueline Hayley said that the purpose of Transplant Education Days was to ensure DaVita’s dialysis patients were well-informed about the possibility of undergoing transplants. Representatives from two transplant centers in Georgia were present to speak with the patients.
“We’re talking to the patients about why transplant may be a good option for them and (we) have the coordinators here on hand to answer any questions they may have about the evaluation process, what happens during transplant and then anything having to do with post-transplant questions,” said Hayley.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, dialysis removes waste, salt and extra water to prevent them from building up in the body, keeps a safe level of certain chemicals in the blood, such as potassium, sodium and bicarbonate and helps to control blood pressure. But the process can be painstaking. Megan Parker, RN, living donor/transplant coordinator at Piedmont Transplant, said patients are exhausted when they leave dialysis and the fatigue makes it difficult for them to live normal lives.
“One of the main reasons why we did (this event) is trying to increase the number of dialysis patients that are referred to transplant...at least just let them know that this is an option and they can come and find out more at the transplant centers, as well.”
That, however, has been a problem--at least in this state.
“Georgia has been identified as being one of the lowest referral rate states,” explained Jane Hardwick-Triplett, RN, transplant outreach coordinator at Emory Transplant Center, “...and as a result, we’re going out more and more and talking to people in the meantime to see if that will help raise the numbers.”
Hayley pointed out that, if a person’s kidneys have failed, the only way for them to stay alive is through dialysis or a transplant. Thus, it comes down to choosing one or the other.
“The only way not to do dialysis treatment is to get a transplant--that’s your only way out of here (DaVita),” she stated. “Unless there’s some kind of miracle and your kidneys regain function, which is not realistic in a lot of cases. Transplant would give them back their quality of life.”
Parker echoed Hayley’s statement, pointing out that there is an ongoing coordinated effort to increase the number of patients living lives as close to normal as possible.
“We all have the same goal in mind, (it’s) to get these patients well and back to a better quality of life through transplant,” she noted.
So how does the donor process work? Well, there are two primary ways someone can receive a kidney from another person: by way of a living donor or a deceased donor. And by all accounts, the living donor is the superior option. On average, a living donor kidney will function five to 10 years longer than one from a deceased donor. In addition, the process of waiting to be matched with a deceased donor kidney often takes much longer. Hayley said that each one of DaVita’s 50 patients came in during the Transplant Education Days and there was an effort made to educate their family members about the donation process, as well.
Though transplant centers want to ensure that donors come forth out of their own free will, a shortage of available donors means that there is always a need for more of them. Next Monday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Blood Assurance will hold a blood drive at the intersection of Main Street and Tennessee Street in honor of Cartersville Police Chief Tommy Culpepper, who is currently in need of a kidney transplant. Culpepper began dialysis in late 2013 and has been on the transplant list for over a year. Last month marked the beginning of Chief Culpepper’s Search for a Living Kidney Donor, which was created by associates at CPD in an effort to raise awareness about the situation. Culpepper’s case is a reflection of the ongoing demand for donors and the uncertainty with which patients must go about their search for them.
Even when a donor is identified, the process must be undertaken carefully. Both the patient and donor must be evaluated and deemed suitable candidates for transplant.
“We also recognize that the first step is that a patient needs to be evaluated, and so what we’re trying do (at Transplant Education Days) is get them motivated to do that,” stated Hardwick. “And then, at the same time, we try to talk to family members that are here because they could be the potential living donor or they could go out and help spread the word that this patient needs a living donor.”
According to their website, as of March 31, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,197 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States, serving about 174,000 patients. The company also operated 93 outpatient dialysis centers located in 10 countries outside the U.S. For more information, visit www.davita.com. To learn more about transplants or becoming a donor, go to www.kidney.org/transplantation.

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