Atlanta, GA, May 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Kidney Foundation of Georgia hosted the 2018 Atlanta Kidney Walk on Saturday, May 19 at Atlantic Station in Midtown Atlanta. Thousands of people, who either have kidney disease or a connection to someone afflicted by the illness, came together to share experiences and support for Georgia kidney patients.
Dialysis patients, organ transplant recipients and donors, medical professionals, families and friends walked side by side, raising awareness for what is considered a silent killer. It’s estimated that one in seven American adults have chronic kidney disease.
LogistiCare, the nation’s largest non-emergency medical transportation broker, partnered with the National Kidney Foundation as the presenting sponsor of the 2018 Atlanta Walk. Over 200 local employees, family and friends registered. The organization is also a participant in more than two dozen kidney walks this year in cities throughout the U.S. In 2017 LogistiCare managed nearly 13 million trips to dialysis appointments; that is nearly 20% of gross trips.
In the past four years, LogistiCare employees have formed Kidney Walk teams that raised and donated a total of nearly $400,000 from operations centers across the country. In 2017, approximately 2,300 LogistiCare employees raised more than $155,000, surpassing the company’s previous record of $129,000 in 2016. The company has set a new goal of raising $165,000.
“The population we serve is often frail and needs safe, convenient transportation to and from essential medical appointments,” said Jeff Felton, LogistiCare CEO. “We are honored to partner with the foundation in order to raise awareness of this insidious disease. We understand the ongoing need for raising money to assist in research for the organization’s many programs dedicated to support kidney patients.”
The money raised provides resources to Georgia kidney patients and transplant recipients, and funds community outreach and education initiatives. These initiatives include Keep Healthy, a community-based program designed to educate Georgian’s about kidneys, risk factors for kidney disease and steps to take to keep kidneys healthy and reduce risk. Keep Healthy is one of many important programs for Georgians made possible with support from generous donors.
“LogistiCare’s contributions help us diagnose kidney disease early through our prevention and early detection programs, help us raise awareness and much more,” said Cara McKinney, executive director of the National Kidney Foundation, serving Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. “Their efforts truly make a difference in the lives of kidney patients and for that we are extremely grateful. We value our relationship and appreciate their commitment to supporting dialysis patients.”
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About LogistiCare
LogistiCare, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Providence Service Corporation (NASDAQ: PRSC), is the nation's largest manager of non-emergency medical transportation programs for state governments and managed care organizations. Its services include call center management, networking credentialing, vendor payment management and non-emergency medical transport management. In 2017, the company maintained a 99 percent complaint-free service rate while managing over 65 million trips and more than 24 million eligible riders. For more information, visit www.logisticare.com.
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