U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) Visits Nephrology at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
Wilmington, Delaware
Tuesday, October 02, 2007 @ 04:17 PM EDT
by: Alison Burris
(302) 651-6396
Wilmington, DE – On Wednesday, August 8, U.S. Senator Tom Carper visited Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, in honor of National End Stage Renal Disease Week. End State Renal Disease (ESRD) failure refers to temporary or permanent damage to the kidneys that result in loss of normal kidney function.
Senator Carper met with doctors and nurses in the dialysis unit to better understand the problems and treatment for ESRD. He was given a tour of the dialysis unit - meeting with patients to help put a face on this disease.
Pat Maier, RN, CNN, explained to the Senator how dialysis works. "Patients have the option of two types of dialysis treatments, depending on their circumstances. In-hospital dialysis is given three times a week, for three to four hours at a time. At-home dialysis can also be arranged, which requires 10 to 12-hour treatment every night. Unfortunately, dialysis and transplants are only treatments for chronic kidney failure. They help manage the disease, but there is no real cure."
Shermine Dabbagh, MD, Chief, Division of Nephrology and Medical Director of Dialysis added, "As of 2004, approximately 15,667 people in the United States with chronic kidney disease received a transplant, with over 76,000 still on the waiting list. Of the patients on the waiting list, over 700 patients were pediatric (less than 18 years old). While waiting, 4038 patients (17 pediatric) died. The nephrology department here at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children treats many children each year. Our youngest patient began treatment when he was only two weeks old and was maintained on dialysis until the child was able to receive a successful kidney transplant. Our dedicated doctors and nurses provide a vital service to these families."
Senator Carper expressed appreciation for their efforts and said he will continue to push for greater awareness of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides health care coverage to low-income children, helping almost 10 million children have better access to primary and preventive health care.
The Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
The Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children is a division of Nemours, which operates one of the nation’s largest health systems devoted to pediatric patient care, teaching and research. Set on a beautiful 300-acre campus near Wilmington, Delaware, the 200-bed duPont Hospital for Children offers all the specialties of pediatric medicine, surgery and dentistry.
The Nemours Children’s Clinic provides the physician services of the hospital at its main campus, and at pediatric primary and specialty care locations throughout Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. Together the duPont Hospital for Children and Nemours Children’s Clinic are the academic partner of Thomas Jefferson University and the pediatric provider to the Jefferson Health System and its members and affiliates.
Nemours is focused on raising the bar in children’s health and health care through its four core service dimensions: patient-centered medical care, biomedical research, education, and health promotion/disease prevention. Nemours employs approximately 4,000 people, including 445 subspecialty physicians, 90 of whom were recognized in 2005 by their peers as among the Best Doctors in America®. For more information, please visit www.Nemours.org.
modified: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 @ 04:17 PM EDT
created: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 @ 04:17 PM EDT
About Nemours
Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.
Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.
Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.
