SANFORD TO JOIN REPRESENTATIVES OF LEGISLATIVE  BLACK CAUCUS, NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION AT EVENT  

Columbia, S.C. - May 10, 2005 - Gov. Mark Sanford will join representatives of the National Kidney Foundation and the Legislative Black Caucus at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday, May 11, 2005) in the Lower Lobby of the South Carolina Statehouse to highlight the importance of early detection in fighting kidney disease in our state. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is four times more likely to strike African-Americans nationally, and South Carolina currently ranks third in the nation in the number of patients on dialysis (roughly 6,000 citizens). The National Kidney Foundation (through a grant from Abbott Pharmaceuticals) is currently funding a pilot program that assists general practitioners in Lexington and Richland Counties in identifying individuals at highest risk for Chronic Kidney Disease earlier in the process.

"If you look at where this administration is coming from on the health care front, it's all about getting at chronic diseases and other problems earlier so that we're minimizing the loss of life and the cost of expensive treatments down the road," Gov. Sanford said. "What we do on those two fronts has a direct impact not only on our state's bottom line, but also on the availability of health care to our citizens. This program is another excellent example of targeting a serious health care problem earlier in the process and doing more to make sure that the people who are most at risk in our state are getting
the help they need."    

For more information or directions from your location to tomorrow's event, please contact Chris Drummond or Will Folks in the Governor's Office at 803-734-2100. 

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Will Folks
Press Secretary, Governor Mark Sanford
803-734-5258 (office)
803-734-6447 (facsimile)
803-446-6713 (mobile)
[email protected]
www.scgovernor.com