Annual Campaigns

KIDNEY HEALTH AWARENESS

Web info & resources:

BCRenal.ca  Health Info  Prevention & Public Health  Kidney Health Month

 Island Health staff celebrate World Kidney Day with cookies

Kidney Health Month

Every March, through Kidney Health Month campaigns and World Kidney Day, BC Renal promotes public awareness about how to keep our kidneys healthy, risk factors for kidney disease, and early diagnosis.

In 2021, for the third year in a row, we partnered with the Kidney Foundation of Canada - BC & Yukon Branch on a light-hearted video, print, transit, web, and social media campaign called, "Could you Lose 80%?” The campaign messaging guides the public to KidneyHealthCheck.ca and BC Renal’s online Kidney Health SelfAssessment tool.

Available in English, Chinese and Punjabi, the tool provides a highlevel assessment of kidney disease risk factors, and encourages those at higher risk to discuss kidney function testing (a simple blood test) with their primary care provider/family doctor.

New in 2021 was the World Kidney Day theme of “Living Well with Kidney Disease.” Our related campaign centred around sharing BC Renal and partner resources for kidney patients and health professionals, covering important topics such as self-management, symptom assessment and management, transitions in kidney care, mental health and social work. In addition, a Province Wide Rounds online learning session, Enhancing Patient Self-Management with Motivational Interviewing and Brief Action Planning in Kidney Care, was held.

 Watch the "Could You Lose 80%?" video here

Also new in 2021, BC Renal promoted the World Kidney Day organization’s “8 Golden Rules of Kidney Health” and linked our social media followers to related information and resources available on the Kidney Foundation and BC Renal websites.

For more about our variety of campaigns, see our Kidney Health Month web page. New in 2021, BC Transplant and BC Renal partnered to raise awareness during the first week of October about living kidney donation, also known as living donor kidney transplant. Social media and news media campaigns took place highlighting the benefits of living kidney donation and the many resources available to patients, potential donors and health professionals. Check out #LKDW2021 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for a wide variety of stories, images, resources, videos, webinars and news coverage that were part of this successful campaign. For more information, visit BCRenal.ca Health ProfessionalsClinical Resources  Transplant

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

 Watch the "How Dialysis Patients Can Prepare for Power Outages and Other Disasters" video here

Web info & resources:

BCRenal.ca  Health Professionals  Professional Resources  Emergency Preparedness “ While we don't know what a disaster will bring, we do know how to do our best to survive one and assist our patients and others who may be less fortunate...Disasters present logistical challenges, whether it is transferring prescriptions or patients. Through planning and practising, we can be prepared.”

-Dan Martinusen, Interim Chair through October 2021, BC Renal Emergency Management Committee

2021 was a year to appreciate the importance of being ready for anything

British Columbians know emergencies can happen at any time: in 2021, extreme summer heat and destructive autumn wind and rain storms presented unprecedented challenges and underscored the importance of being prepared when disaster strikes.

Comprehensive emergency resources for kidney patients and caregivers

2021 saw the latest addition to BC Renal’s emergency preparedness resources with the release of a short, animated video. Titled How Dialysis Patients Can Prepare for Power Outages and Other Disasters, it provides a concise overview of what patients should do in advance of events such as floods and wildfires that may disrupt access to dialysis. The video is available with closed captions in English, Chinese and Punjabi on BC Renal’s YouTube channel and via the BC Renal website.

Other key multi-language emergency prep materials refreshed in 2020 are also available, including:

• Emergency Preparedness Information for Dialysis Patients booklet • Planning for Disaster wallet cards • Planning for Disaster poster • Kidney patient emergency information forms • Emergency disconnect procedures for home dialysis patients

Emergency Preparedness Month

May is Emergency Preparedness Month across the BC Renal network. This initiative promotes emergency preparedness to all kidney patients and health care professionals, with an aim to increase our collective abilities to prepare for and respond to disasters. BC Renal’s patient and health professional resources are complemented by the Provincial Renal Emergency Management and Business Continuity Plan, which is maintained by our provincial Emergency Management Committee.