(March 27, 2023, New York, NY) — In April, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) will honor pediatric nurse Jeanetta Wammack, RN, CDN for her dedication as a Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse at Arkansas Children’s Hospital by presenting her with the Council of Nephrology Nurses and Technicians award in the name of Carol Mattix. The award is presented annually at the 2023 NKF Spring Clinical Meetings held in Austin, TX from April 11 -15.
Carol Mattix was a home dialysis training nurse of the last century who worked tirelessly to improve the care of patients living with kidney failure.
“Jeanetta’s devotion to her patients would make Carol Mattix proud and truly continues her commitment to those facing kidney disease and kidney failure,” said NKF President Sylvia Rosas, MD, MSCE. “Dialysis nurses are in high demand while taking care of complex patients and educating individuals with kidney failure and their families. They are vital to nephrology care and the NKF is proud to honor them each year.”
In 1999, Wammack lost her father to end-stage kidney disease, which led her to become a dialysis nurse. Wammack received her nursing degree from Baptist School of Nursing in 1994. She began her nursing career at Baptist Memorial Hospital, working in the critical care department.
“I am honored, and in disbelief that the National Kidney Foundation would choose to honor me with the distinguished Carol Mattix Award,” Jeanetta said. “I feel so undeserving, because I know I am not alone in trying to provide the best care possible for my dialysis patients. I just treat my patients the way I would want my loved ones to be treated, and I know there are so many other nurses out there doing the same thing. So, I humbly and graciously accept this award on behalf of all those nurses.”
Wammack has spent 24 of her 29 years of nursing working in the dialysis field. She started her dialysis career at Arkansas Renal Systems working in hemodialysis. She quickly advanced to Clinic Manager, where she remained in management for 13 years. But her desire to work directly with patients drove her to an adult peritoneal dialysis facility, and later to the pediatric peritoneal dialysis department at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Jeanetta has worked in almost every facet of dialysis.
“NKF is a great resource for my dialysis patients, and they have been a great resource for myself as well,” Wammack said. “NKF helps me stay abreast of the ever-changing world of dialysis.”
“My father meant the world to me and seeing him suffer and have a hard time with dialysis made me want to do something to help him, and others like him,” Wammack said. “I wanted to make a difference in my patients' lives. I wanted to show them that I really cared about them and would do anything I could to give them the best care possible, while also trying to make their dialysis experience a little better.”
Each year, NKF considers the work of hundreds of specialists in the field of Nephrology and selects among them those who most exemplify the relentless efforts of NKF to enhance the lives of patients through action, education, and accelerating change. The prestigious awards are presented to the recipients during the annual gathering of clinicians and kidney health professionals at the NKF 2023 Spring Clinical Meetings, which will be held in April 11-15, in Austin, TX.
NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
For the past 31 years, nephrology healthcare professionals from across the country have come to NKF’s Spring Clinical Meetings to learn about the newest developments related to all aspects of nephrology practice; network with colleagues; and present their research findings. The NKF Spring Clinical Meetings are designed for meaningful change in the multidisciplinary healthcare teams’ skills, performance, and patient health outcomes. It is the only conference of its kind that focuses on translating science into practice for the entire healthcare team.
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD)—and approximately 90 percent don’t know they have it. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are more than four times as likely as White Americans to have kidney failure. Hispanics experience kidney failure at about double the rate of White people.
NKF Professional Membership
Healthcare professionals can join NKF to receive access to tools and resources for both patients and professionals, discounts on professional education, and access to a network of thousands of individuals who treat patients with kidney disease.
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.