NKF Kicks Off 2018 Kidney Walks as LogistiCare National Team Marks Fourth Year

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New York, NY—April 4, 2018— As the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) embarks on its 2018 Kidney Walk season to include more than 100 locations across the country, the organization welcomes back LogistiCare for a fourth year as a National Team. The nation’s largest non-emergency medical transportation broker has, for the first time, signed on as a $125,000 national sponsor of more than two dozen Kidney Walks in multiple markets, including presenting sponsors in Atlanta and Phoenix.

 

LogistiCare is renewing its longstanding commitment to provide monetary support and additional benefits to patients suffering from kidney disease. Since 2014, more than 6,000 people have participated in Kidney Walks hosted by LogistiCare, and employees formed Walk teams that raised and donated nearly $400,000 to NKF. This year, the company has set a goal of raising $165,000, which would be its highest, single-year total to date. LogistiCare is one of nine Kidney Walk National Teams in the U.S., raising funds and support for, and awareness about, kidney disease. NKF also urges Kidney Walk participants and the public to make an explicit commitment to “Heart Your Kidneys” by learning about the kidneys’ vital functions and help elevate the kidneys to the status of other vital organs such as the heart.

 

“For people with kidney disease who rely so heavily on our programs and services, corporate partnerships, such as the one we have with LogistiCare, are vital to sustaining and enhancing our efforts on their behalf,” said Krystn Kuckelman, Vice President of Event Development, National Kidney Foundation. “We are sincerely grateful for their continued support and hope that our work together will continue for many years to come.”

 

NKF and LogistiCare are committed to kidney patients, many of whom are on dialysis, as well as other individuals they each support in respective ways.  “We serve a population that is often frail, financially challenged, and in need of a helping hand to assure they have safe transportation to and from essential medical appointments,” said Jeff Felton, LogistiCare CEO. “Because of the need for frequent visits to healthcare facilities, we interact with dialysis patients every day, understand the life-changing impacts of kidney disease and have deep sympathy for those who suffer its consequences,” Felton continued. “I’m honored that we can partner with the National Kidney Foundation and look forward to our employee teams setting new standards for fundraising in support of their mission.”

 

As April marks National Donate Life Month, NKF also reminds kidney patients that, while dialysis may prolong life, they don’t have to undergo it for life.  Patients are encouraged to become a candidate for a kidney transplant or ask family and friends to consider getting tested to become a living kidney donor.

 

Having launched its walk season in March, LogistiCare is hosting 23 Kidney Walks in major U.S. cities through December. In 2017, approximately 2,300 employees raised more than $155,000, surpassing the company’s previous record of $129,000 in 2016.

 

 “We see firsthand examples every day of how kidney disease impacts individuals and families, and it makes our resolve to help patients in more ways than transportation even stronger,” said Leslie Mueller, Senior Vice President of Operations at LogistiCare and committee chair of the company’s NKF partnership.  “I am so proud of our employees who come together as one to support a cause that is near and dear to their hearts. They hear the stories of patients and are deeply affected by the hardships they endure and have a deep sense of pride knowing their efforts are truly helping the National Kidney Foundation help others.”

 

LogistiCare, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Providence Service Corporation (NASDAQ: PRSC), is the nation's largest manager of non-emergency medical transportation programs for state governments and managed care organizations. Its range of services includes call center management, networking credentialing, vendor payment management and non-emergency medical transport management. In 2017, the company maintained a 99 percent complaint-free service rate while managing over 65 million trips and more than 24 million eligible riders. For more information, visit www.logisticare.com.

 

30 million American adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease—and most aren’t aware of it. 1 in 3 American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and family history of kidney failure. People of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are 3 times more likely than Whites, and Hispanics are nearly 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to develop end-stage renal disease (kidney failure).