ASN calls on Congress to increase funding for veterans with kidney diseases
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Key takeaways:
- The request to Congress includes a $25 million investment.
- Investments would go toward KidneyX and the Veterans Health Administration Kidney Health Program.
The American Society of Nephrology has called upon Congress to increase funding for veterans living with kidney diseases, according to the press release.
More than 50 advocates from ASN and the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) met with members of Congress to request a $25 million investment in KidneyX during the fiscal year 2024 to advance kidney innovation and further support veterans with kidney diseases. This investment would allow KidneyX to support more innovators and focus on the development of the first artificial kidney.
“The 37 million Americans living with kidney diseases, including 7.7[%] of U.S. veterans, deserve care that meets their needs,” Michelle A. Josephson, MD, FASN, president of ASN, said in the release. “ASN is proud to partner with the AAKP for the [11] th annual Kidney Health Advocacy Day to jointly call on Congress to increase funding for innovation at KidneyX and funding for veterans and active service members at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Kidney Health Program and Department of Defense Congressional Directed Medical Research Program (DoD CDMRP).”
Currently, the VHA Kidney Health Program provides veterans with kidney-related clinical care, education, research and informational services. With the funding ASN and AAKP are asking for, Congress will enable the VHA Kidney Health Program to expand virtual care and home dialysis programs for veterans. Additionally, the funding would be used to develop a rare kidney registry for veterans and to implement pragmatic clinical trials.
According to the release, ASN and AAPK are also asking Congress to support CDMRP funding for spatial proteomics related to kidney biopsies and to test precision pathways for acute and chronic kidney disease.
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