NephCure Provides Kidney Disease Screenings at Enon Tabernacle’s Community Health Event

On November 11th, NephCure with CARE and JUSTICE, an NIH-funded registry and clinical trial, had the great privilege of joining Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church’s 2nd annual “Women Know Your Numbers” health screening event in Philadelphia, PA. The event provided more than 300 women with screenings for proteinuria and testing for the APOL1 genotype.

Black Americans are 3-4 times more likely to develop kidney failure than white Americans. APOL1 is a genetic form of kidney disease that primarily impacts individuals of African descent. APOL1 researchers believe that up to 40% of Black Americans on dialysis have APOL1-related kidney disease.

“This initiative is all about tackling the disproportionate burden of kidney disease on the Black community. It’s not just about finding the problem at the screening event, it’s about getting people connected to early interventions that target genetic causes and connecting them to a primary care physician if they do not have access to one,” Montrez Lucas, NephCure’s Associate Director, Patient Navigation, said.

“This event provides hope— breaking disparities, and empowering communities through knowledge. It’s a commitment to lasting impact on kidney health.”

By offering these screenings, NephCure is able to help identify individuals with all causes of chronic kidney disease earlier in their journey so they can be connected to new treatments that can significantly improve their overall kidney health and prevent or delay dialysis.

If you were not able to attend this health screening event in Philadelphia, you may still be able to get genetic testing at no-cost to you.

Individuals who meet the following criteria are eligible for no-cost to patient testing programs:

• African ancestry, including those who self-identify as Black, African American, African, Afro-Caribbean, Hispanic, or Latino
• Not on dialysis and no history of kidney transplant
• Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), end stage renal disease (ESRD), or has presence of protein in urine (proteinuria)
• Does not have diabetes

These genetic testing programs can help raise awareness about the genetic causes of kidney disease in the Black community and reduce some barrier associated with genetic testing. Click here to learn more about each genetic testing program.

If you have questions are don’t quality for the no-cost test, but are still interested in genetic testing, contact NephCure at info@nephcure.org or 1-866-NephCure (637-4287).