CAIRO, Ill. (KBSI) – Southern Seven Health Department in partnership with Alexander/Pulaski NAACP, First Missionary Baptist Church, Fifth Street Renaissance, and Shawnee Community Extension Center offered free kidney and diabetes screenings Monday.
One in three American adults are at risk of kidney disease. This event helped give people a chance to get tested.
Regina White, KidneyMobile® manager for the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, said the reason they offer these tests is because kidney disease does not show symptoms.
“By the time people learn that something is going on with their kidneys it’s usually almost time for dialysis so our job is to try to prevent people from going on dialysis,” said White.
Artie McBride, with the Alexander Pulaski NAACP, said that being in southern tip of Illinois a lot of times they are left out of events like these.
“Last year we did the same event here in Cairo back in July. So it was such a success, they asked us again to host it. So here we are again and we just want to bring the services here to people in this area,” said McBride.
The event took place at the Shawnee Community College Extension Center in Cairo.
Southern Seven will offer free kidney and diabetes checks all week. For more information on their locations visit nkfi.org/get-screened