• Kidney & Dialysis Additional Resources

Supporting Your Kidney Disease Journey, Every Step of the Way

A wealth of resources are available to help you on your quest to learn more about chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dialysis. Below are several categories with links to other exceptional organizations that help those with kidney disease.

Note: All links below open in a new browser window.

Organizations and Programs

  • Dialysis Patient Citizens
    This nationwide, nonprofit patient organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all dialysis patients.
  • Kidney Smart®
    Find a class in your area or learn online anytime and get the knowledge you need to take control of your health.
  • National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
    Offers education, information, and chapters in most states that you can join. The NKF has also developed clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of kidney disease and kidney failure.
  • National Kidney Foundation of Southern California
    Learn about kidney disease. Ways to prevent and treat disease, patient programs, links, support groups, organ donation faq’s, and how to help.
  • Dialysisfinder.com- Dialysis Center search
    Find a dialysis center anywhere in the USA. Search by city, state, or zip code. Facility contact information is also available. Addition resouces available on links page. 
  • Find a Dialysis Center - DaVita.com
    More than 4,000 centers in database. Fill out a Facility Availability Form online or call 1-800-424-6589 and DaVita Guest Services will facilitate your placement.
  • Life Options Rehabilitation Program
    Dedicated to helping people live long and live well with kidney disease. Offers encouragement and free educational materials, with a special emphasis on staying active through exercise and employment.
  • American Kidney Fund
    Provides educational programs, clinical research and community service projects.
  • American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP)
    AAKP is the voluntary, patient organization, which for more than 40 years, has been dedicated to improving the lives of fellow kidney patients and their families by helping them deal with the physical, emotional and social impact of kidney disease. The programs offered by AAKP,  inform and inspire patients and their families to better understand their condition, adjust more readily to their circumstances and assume more normal, productive lives in their communities.
    • AAKP My Health
      AAKP My Health is a unique section of the AAKP Web site dedicated to helping you take charge of your health care. AAKP My Health allows you to monitor your lab values and gives you an idea of what they may mean for your condition, ask more informed questions from your health care team and increase your general knowledge of kidney disease.
  • Alport Syndrome Foundation®
    The Alport Syndrome Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 2007 by a group of families affected by the disease and guided by a medical advisory committee of renowned nephrologists.
  • Renal Support Network (RSN)
    A nonprofit, patient-focused, patient-run organization that provides non-medical services to those affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD).
  • National Kidney Registry
    The mission of the National Kidney Registry (NKR) "is to save and improve the lives of people facing kidney failure by increasing the quality, speed, and number of living donor transplants in the world."
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Education

  • The Nephron Information Center
    Allows patient, professionals and the public access to the vast kidney disease resources on the Web. Links. Animated GIFS, preESRD education, Fadem's Kidney Guide
  • How Your Kidneys Work
    A thorough but friendly education on the many functions of the kidneys.
  • Type 2 Diabetes
    Healthline provides a comprehensive overview of type 2 diabetes as a critical starting point for individuals and/or their loved ones.
  • Dialysis-Related Amyloidosis (DRA)
    Information from NIDDK: This is a disease of the bones and joints that can arise as a complication of long-term dialysis.
  • Peritoneal Dialysis
    Offers descriptions of what is involved with PD, and tips to make life with PD easier.
  • Coalition for Supportive Care of Kidney Patients (CSCKP) CSCKP brings together like-minded people who care deeply about the quality of compassionate, supportive care for kidney patients.
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Advice & Inspiration from People with Kidney Disease

  • myDaVita
    With myDaVita, you're not alone. Make connections with members of the kidney care community.
  • One Man's Story
    Photojournalist John Martin chronicles his journey through kidney failure, dialysis and transplant in first person narration and photos. A picture is worth a thousand words!
  • Gil's Kidney Failure Page
    Gil shares his story and advice, from long experience with kidney failure.
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Recipes & Nutrition

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Specific Kidney Diseases

  • Lupus
    Detailed information from eLupus on treatment of kidney disease due to lupus.
  • The PKD Foundation
    Provides PKD information and encourages PKD research.
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Resources

  • DialysisfinderTM
    A free service to help you locate dialysis centers closest to you, or centers in places where you wish to travel.
  • Employment
    A Guide to Work, Insurance, and Finance for People on Dialysis: Comprehensive information and advice for dealing with work and money issues. Download the whole booklet or look at individual chapters online.
  • Kidney Disease Information
    Resources and fact sheets from NIDDK.
  • Transplant Living
    Transplant resources from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the organization that maintains the U.S. organ transplant waiting list.
  • Dialysis Facility
    Compare Medicare's site for information on selected characteristics and quality statistics of individual dialysis centers.
  • Estimated Creatinine Clearance
    Online calculator to estimate creatinine clearance from age, gender, weight, and blood creatinine level (uses the Cockcroft Gault equation).
  • Directory of Resources
    Renal Web's extensive listing of links and information of interest to people living with kidney failure.
  • Home Dialysis Central
  • UKidney
    UKidney is a provider of educational tools for the study and practice of nephrology, hypertension management, and kidney transplantation. This site features essential educational contributions from major opinion leaders in nephrology.
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Health Related Portals

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Knowing your glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can determine your stage of kidney disease, helping you better manage it.

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