Kidney Health Fest for African American Families June 5, 2010

This 8th annual event freatures free health screenings, entertainment and healthy food samples made by local celebrity chefs.

With the theme of "From Surviving to Thriving: Healthy People Healthy Communities," this event includes free private consultations with a doctor, healthy food, and a discussion about healthy living with Angela Russell, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News anchor, as the emcee. The day also includes entertainment, music, exhibits, a Kids' Korner and a chance to win prizes. Co-hosts are Mount Zion Baptist Church and First AME Church.

Speakers include Dr. Christian S. Kuhr, Director of Transplantation at Virginia Mason Medical Center and Dr. Valerie F. Hunt, community spokesperson for the Seattle Puget Sound Alliance for Lupus Research Community Walk, among others.

The Fest is a wonderful opportunity to receive essential screenings for kidney and heart disease. Northwest Kidney Centers will provide these three simple tests to assess a participant's risk of kidney disease:
* Blood pressure check
* Test for protein in a urine sample
* Test for creatinine in a blood sample
One in seven American adults has kidney disease. In the African American community, the number increases four-fold. Although African Americans make up 12 percent of the U.S. population, 32 percent of individuals with kidney failure are African American. In addition, African American men are 10 to 14 times more likely to develop kidney failure due to high blood pressure than Caucasian men in the same age group.

Participants will learn how to improve their lives to avoid kidney disease. This includes:
* Treating high blood pressure and diabetes, two of the leading causes of kidney failure.
* Quitting smoking.
* Eating a low-salt, low-fat diet. Obesity can lead to kidney disease.
* Exercising at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
* Avoiding the overuse of pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen, which can damage kidneys.

Official Website: http://www.nwkidney.org/nkc/aboutUs/news/KidneyHealthFest.html