Dialysis Patient Citizens

[LEFT]DPC has changed its name to Dialysis Patient Citizens. The patient-led Board of Directors of DaVita Patient Citizens (DPC) is proud to announce that in order to better represent the organization’s independent spirit of governance and diversity of membership, we will now be known as Dialysis Patient Citizens.
Over the past four years, acting as a voice of dialysis patients of all modalities and backgrounds across the United States, we have become the largest patient-led organization advocating on behalf of improved dialysis care nationwide. Our Board carefully selected this new name so that dialysis patients, family members and the public alike will better understand our mission as we provide a unified voice for all dialysis patients.

Established in 2004, DPC was created to be a strong, united voice working on behalf of dialysis patients. Originally founded with an educational grant from dialysis provider DaVita Inc., DPC which now represents more than 22,000 dialysis patients and family members nationwide is currently funded by a variety of organizations who support the advancement of kidney care initiatives.

We feel the new name better highlights and emphasizes the dialysis patient, who is truly the driving force behind DPC. The name Dialysis Patient Citizens more fully represents who we are, who we serve, and what we do.
Our hope is that the new name, along with our ongoing outreach efforts through the kidney care community, will help us encourage more dialysis patients to become active participants in improving their kidney care. We look forward to continuing to work with you to create real and positive change.
To learn more about DPC please visit dialysispatients.org.
Sincerely,[/LEFT]

[LEFT]Patricia Orna
President
Chad Lennox
Executive Director[/LEFT]

I got that press release, too, Erich, and thought “it’s about time!” I think it’s a good idea to unbrand the group, and is likely to enhance its credibility.

Hi Folks

It is about time , now this group and the rest need to get field offices in all the states. I don’t see any offices in PA , N.Y . Calif. etc .What I saw and heard in a couple of the big city centers is a lack of understanding what the person who is working on the pt has at there finger tips. I know that it not every center. And the bottom line falls on the DR who is in charge which is the bad part. I will still not join these groups till they start getting out and having offices in all states.

Choice… We have rights

But since I gotten into dialysis the only group that offer real help was this site…Without them I don’t think I would be home

bob obrien

I just joined this group. I wanted to in the past, but wasn’t a client of a Davita Clinic. Now, I feel better.

Bob:

What would you want out of a field office?

What is it that you feel that you need locally?

Since its inception, the DPC has been focused on federal legislation that impacts all modalities of dialysis.

Also, despite its previous name, you didn’t need to be a DaVita patient to join. Though, I hadn’t heard about them until I saw their newsletter in my DaVita clinic. Perhaps with the new name it will be easier to recruit members from all walks of DaVita life.

Erich

[QUOTE=TheRiverdude;15882]Bob:

What would you want out of a field office?

What is it that you feel that you need locally?

Since its inception, the DPC has been focused on federal legislation that impacts all modalities of dialysis.

Also, despite its previous name, you didn’t need to be a DaVita patient to join. Though, I hadn’t heard about them until I saw their newsletter in my DaVita clinic. Perhaps with the new name it will be easier to recruit members from all walks of DaVita life.

Erich[/QUOTE]

Previously, I would not join DaVita Patient Citizens as I was in more than one DaVita unit that was kept filthy and haggard and broke regulations right before my eyes. They think that because some patients are oblivious to the cleanliness level of the unit or don’t recognize that regulations are being broken, that all patients are ignorant of how unit administration and floor staff are cutting corners and cheating. I found it extremely hypocritcal that a patient advocacy group would be run by a corporation that did not monitor regulation breaking in the units I was in. Of course, in the units of most corporations and privately owned, regulations are routinely broken. The honest, professionally run units are the exception.

I also well remember this organization’s telephone conferences re how they silenced one patient after another who wished to bring up their clinic and treatment concerns. For anyone joining a patient organization which bills itself as “patient advocacy”, rather than just blindly joining, I would investigate whether the organization truly benefits patient care or if the agenda is to fatten the pockets of corporations.

There are a number of kidney organizations. It is not an easy task to check them out which is why few go to the effort. But check them out you must if you don’t want to waste your time and $$ supporting an unworthy cause. Will this organization that is no longer headed by one corporation become the premier patient advocacy organization- you be the judge…

Hi Folks

Hey Riverdude
How you doing? How is your site making out?

On what I want is a group that has offices in areas or cities where real dialysis consumers can get real answers to legal questions. I don’t live in a make believe world where people should just act as grown ups and not think in legal terms. Since I started I had tried to find a group that could answer legal questions as to consumer rights when they enter dialysis. Good luck on that ? You know I had emailed them back in 06 to find out just how far they had to travel to clean, well run centers that offer the tx that fits their life . Guess what, I got no reply. I also asked on the laws of dialysis - guess what, no answer. That was the same from all the groups (ESRD NETWORk, NKF, etc)

What I want are units that outside of having to meet monthly blood #'s are clean and well run. I know that the units that myself and Jane have been in are not the rule. I know that there are really good units that are clean and well run. I got lucky in that I found a unit that fits the bill. My new center seems to understand the meaning of a clean, well run center. When you go in there, you know that the medical people are the ones who are making the call on what is best for the consumer & that your DR doesn’t have to call a company manager to get his ok. The pods are clean and let a person on dialysis know or feel at least that the people who are there really listen.

I will be sending out letters and copies of papers (email and such) that I’ve gather over two yrs. I will send them to my state’s AG, my reps in DC and my reps in my state capitol.

In others words Riverdude, I want some one who understands that things sometimes need to be done on a local level. That getting things done in DC is a lifetime of work for sometimes nothing or very little done. Plugger has it right by working hard on his state level. The issues that Jane and I faced are the exception. The people in DC are looking more at the whole $$$ issues as the answer, while I see it as being more units offering more choices, and units just looking like a medical unit and not a bar room.

[QUOTE=TheRiverdude;15882]
Since its inception, the DPC has been focused on federal legislation that impacts all modalities of dialysis.

And what have they gotten done so far? Locally?

[QUOTE=TheRiverdude;15882]Bob:

What would you want out of a field office?

What is it that you feel that you need locally?

Since its inception, the DPC has been focused on federal legislation that impacts all modalities of dialysis.

Also, despite its previous name, you didn’t need to be a DaVita patient to join. Though, I hadn’t heard about them until I saw their newsletter in my DaVita clinic. Perhaps with the new name it will be easier to recruit members from all walks of DaVita life.

Erich[/QUOTE]

bob obrien

Weeee, coolio…