More information about two executive orders that address health equity and public data infrastructure.
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With the start of a new year, a new Congress and a new administration, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) is continuing its advocacy work on behalf of the 37 million Americans living with kidney disease. While last year saw several victories in Congress and the states for people with kidney disease, much more needs to be done.
AKF issued a press release congratulating President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on their inauguration, while also urging them to prioritize our nation’s kidney health and the effective deployment of COVID-19 vaccines We also sent a letter to the National Governors Association along the same lines, explaining in the letter that people with kidney failure are at increased risk of severe illness due to COVID-19—especially in-center dialysis patients who risk greater exposure because they must leave their homes multiple times per week for treatment.
We look forward to working with AKF Ambassadors this year on important issues, such as addressing social determinants of health and health disparities, vaccine distribution, access to health insurance and kidney disease research, prevention, detection and treatment. By making your voice heard and telling your story to lawmakers, you help us make an impact in the fight against kidney disease.
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Applications open for 2021 AKF Kidney Action Summit
Each year, AKF brings Ambassadors to Washington, D.C. for advocacy training and meetings with their elected officials on the most pressing issues for kidney patients, transplant recipients and living donors. This year’s AKF Kidney Action Summit will be held on March 17 and, like last year, it will be virtual because of the pandemic.
Applications to participate are currently open. Ambassadors will be notified in mid-February if they are selected to participate. If you are interested in applying, please fill out an application on our website.
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President Biden issues executive orders on health equity and public health data infrastructure
President Biden issued two executive orders on issues that are key priorities for AKF. The Executive Order on Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and Recovery directs federal agencies to work together to address health equity, and to identify and eliminate health and social inequities that have resulted in disproportionately higher rates of exposure, illness and death from COVID-19 in communities of color and other underserved populations. As part of this work, the order establishes a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force that will include the Secretary of Health and Human Services, heads of other federal agencies and non-federal individuals with expertise and lived experience relevant to health equity.
The Executive Order on Ensuring a Data-Driven Response to COVID-19 and Future High-Consequence Public Health Threats directs federal agencies to facilitate the gathering, sharing and publication of COVID-19-related data in order to improve the public health infrastructure. As the order states, these efforts will assist federal, state and local authorities “in developing and implementing policies to facilitate informed community decision-making, to further public understanding of the pandemic and the response, and to deter the spread of misinformation and disinformation.”
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