WASHINGTON, D.C., (June 17, 2021) — Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) today released the following statement recognizing Juneteenth and reaffirming its commitment to addressing healthcare disparities among kidney patients nationwide.
“Today we commemorate Juneteenth, an important day in history that celebrates the emancipation of enslaved Americans and allows us an opportunity for reflection on both our nation’s history and how much further we have to go,” said DPC Board President Andrew Conkling. “Black Americans continue to face systemic inequalities in our country, including healthcare disparities that disproportionately hurt patients from communities of color. Too many patients with kidney disease experience firsthand unacceptable racial disparities in healthcare and DPC is committed to doing our part to ensure that every patient has fair and equitable access to the healthcare education, resources, and treatment they need.”
Despite making up approximately 13 percent of the population in the United States, African Americans account for more than 35 percent of all patients on dialysis due to kidney failure. This fact, paired with the disproportionate rates at which African American communities suffer from conditions which contribute to kidney disease, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, shows that there is still significant work to be done to make kidney care equitable for Black Americans, and DPC stands with these patients as we work to reduce existing disparities.
