After ten years, PSKC has made the difficult decision to sunset the CKD Education program. Reflecting on the past decade, what an incredible journey it has been!
How It All Started
With the generous support of a three-year seed grant from the Verdant Health Commission, the program was created with the goals of raising community awareness about CKD, promoting kidney health, and empowering patients. The founding CKD Education team included Dan Blatnik (Director of Social Services), Kathy Harvey (Director of Renal Nutritional Services), and Pam Keech (Chief Medical Officer), as well as Michelle Rowlett (Social Work Supervisor) and Sara Prato (Renal Dietitian) who co-led the initiative. Recognizing that the voice of patients matters, they invited mentors like Bob Crabtree, Mary Beth Walsh, and Don Criscaden to help shape the program, fostering a community-centered, interdisciplinary approach that became a cornerstone for the program.
Growing With Our Community
With the inaugural Survive & Thrive class series launching February 11, 2015, more than 100 people benefited from CKD educational efforts that first year. As interest grew, so did our outreach throughout the region. By listening closely to community needs, we improved patient access with additional class times, offering teaching materials in multiple languages, and strengthening partnerships with local organizations including senior centers, the YMCA, faith-based groups, cultural organizations, and regional health fairs. We are deeply grateful for the meaningful partnership we share with the Tulalip Tribes and inspiration they provided in shaping the program.
The Pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the CKD team acted quickly to ensure education remained accessible by pivoting to a virtual platform to allowing people to continue learning safely from home. Recognizing that many families lacked reliable internet access, with support from partners like Union Bank, we created “Kidney Healthy Eating Packets” for distribution through regional food banks and senior meal programs. These packets—available in English, Spanish, and Russian—included kidney-healthy tips and salt-free spice blends. Between 2021 and 2023, more than 7,700 packets reached households coping with food insecurity and limited access to health education.
In 2023, we were thrilled to welcome participants back to the classroom and introducing a hybrid model for delivery of kidney health education, making it easier for everyone to participate and improving access. With our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Durvasula, being named Executive Sponsor of our CKD program in 2024, the curriculum was updated to reflect the newly released KDIGO guidelines, ensuring the program remained current and relevant. We also worked to expand our reach beyond the nephrology community, marketing to health care systems and primary care providers throughout the region.
A Decade of Impact
Through the generous support of grant partners including Verdant, the Tulalip Charitable Fund, Molina Healthcare, Union Bank, and many others who recognize the importance of early kidney health education, our efforts around CKD prevention have reached almost 21,000 people. We have heard countless personal anecdotes from patients and family members about how CKD education has helped them along their health journey and with clinical decision-making. Beyond stories of empowerment, we have seen that high-risk patients who participated in our CKD classes were better prepared for the transition to end stage kidney disease. Work of the CKD Education team has been recognized both locally and nationally with awards from the Verdant Health Commission (2016), as well as the National Kidney Foundation (2022). Additionally, members of our CKD team have presented at local, state, and national conferences, sharing insights and contributing to the broader conversation on CKD care.
The future of CKD Education
What began from humble beginnings evolved into a decade-long commitment to raise awareness about kidney disease, support early diagnosis, and empower patients. Unfortunately, in the face of mounting financial constraints, the PSKC leadership team has made the difficult decision to dissolve the CKD Education program. This was a painful choice, but ultimately necessary to ensure that PSKC continues fulfilling its essential duty to the countless patients who depend on the organization for providing life-sustaining dialysis care. While this chapter may be closing, our commitment to our mission remains strong – we will continue to find new and different ways to support kidney health and well-being in the communities we serve.
We are grateful to our community, partners, and participants for an incredible ten years and thank you for your understanding.