UPDATE 2020: We continue to provide the same necessary services to our patients but we have had to cancel our Golf Tournament and the Spring Fling discussed below due to the coronavirus pandemic.
CONASAUGA KIDNEY CARE
Serving the Needs of Patients with Chronic Kidney Failure
Living with chronic kidney disease is difficult for both patients and their families. Most dialysis and many transplant patients are unable to work and therefore have no health insurance. Although Medicare covers most of the expense of dialysis, chronic kidney disease patients must shoulder prescription drug costs that can average $200 to $500 per month – that’s more than most of them pay for housing and groceries.
In response to the often overwhelming needs of their patients, in 1990 a group of Dalton healthcare professionals and volunteers founded Conasauga Kidney Care, a non-profit, all volunteer organization with the mission of providing fellowship as well as financial support for kidney patients in this area.
Patients on hemodialysis spend 9 to 15 hours per week on dialysis and require frequent additional healthcare. Conasauga Kidney Care is concerned with the needs of both patients and their families. Although we provide all patients with vitamins and phosphate binders, a large part of our expenditures goes to individual patients for specific medications. Conasauga Kidney Care has provided funds for such items as rent payments, utility bills, eyeglasses, dentures, air conditioners, handicap ramps and phone bills. In one instance, CKC money paid to pave a driveway, allowing the patient to receive transportation services to and from dialysis. We have paid for other needs affecting the family such as band instruments, band trips and class trips for patients’ children. We have even bought used cars for patients who had now way to get to dialysis.
Conasauga Kidney Care also seeks to provide opportunities for patients and their families to enjoy life a little more. Every year, CKC holds its “Spring Fling” which was formerly our fundraiser, but now is largely a social event offered for free to our patients. It is an old-fashioned barbeque that features performances by local clogging groups, country music singers, and multiple cakewalks. Additionally, Conasauga Kidney Care provides “White Christmas” Kroger gift cards to all dialysis patients at Christmas time. Finally, Consauga Kidney Care is always available to help our transplant patients with their financial needs relative to transplantation which can place a significant financial strain on them.
Our major fundraiser now is the annual Consauga Kidney Care Golf Tournament held at Barnesly Gardens in Adairsville, Ga. It has been a great source of support for our patients and their families for over 14 years.
Consauga Kidney Care has been a major source of patient support for the past 25 years and looks forward to the next 25 years.We have no paid employees and our only expenses are those necessary for our fundraisers and the usual administrative costs of doing business. We have been blessed with a loyal group of committed volunteers.
We Help Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease Live Normal Lives.