The National Kidney Foundation of Illinois is teaming up with Taylorville Memorial Hospital to provide a free kidney and health screening on August 1 for all community members. The screening will be held in the Janice Hopper Auditorium at TMH from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and anyone interested in getting screened for kidney disease, high blood pressure or diabetes is encouraged to attend. There is no cost to be screened and appointments are not necessary.

The screening will be offered by the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois’ KidneyMobile, the nation’s only custom mobile unit that travels across the state screening individuals for kidney disease and its two main causes: diabetes and high blood pressure.

In addition to a free screening, attendees will also be able to talk privately with a nurse or doctor about their results and take an educational tour of the KidneyMobile.

Each year, kidney disease kills more people than breast or prostate cancer, but while the majority of Americans can recite the common tests for breast or prostate cancer, many do not know the risk factors and tests that could keep them off dialysis and the transplant waiting list. Because kidney disease often develops slowly with few symptoms, it can frequently go undetected until it is very advanced. Simple steps such as controlling blood pressure and blood sugar, keeping weight down, exercising regularly, quitting smoking and avoiding excessive use of pain medicine can help reduce risk.

“One in three American adults is at risk for kidney disease, while one in seven already have the disease,” said Ann Black, Chief Executive Officer with the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. “That means hundreds of thousands of people in Illinois are affected. Our goal is to educate the community about the risks for kidney disease and detect it early so that they can manage the disease and slow its progression.”

About the NKFI: The National Kidney Foundation of Illinois improves the health and well-being of people at risk for or affected by kidney disease through prevention, education and empowerment. To learn more, please visit www.nkfi.org.

About TMH: Taylorville Memorial Hospital is a 25-bed critical access hospital located at 201 E. Pleasant Street in Taylorville and is an affiliate of Memorial Health System. For more information about TMH, visit TaylorvilleMemorial.org.