American Kidney Fund Congratulates President Biden and Vice President Harris; Urges Prioritization of Vaccine and Kidney Health

ROCKVILLE, Md. (January 20, 2021) – The American Kidney Fund (AKF) today congratulated President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States. AKF also congratulated Vice President Kamala Harris, whose inauguration represented a historic milestone as she became the first woman and the first person of color to hold that office.

"President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken office during one of the most difficult times in our nation's history. With more than 400,000 lives lost to COVID-19, millions of people struggling financially, and deep political and social divisions, we face unparalleled challenges," said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. "We are in the midst of a national trauma, and we are looking to the Biden Administration for leadership through this time of crisis."

"The people AKF represents — 37 million Americans with kidney disease — have been hard hit by COVID-19," said Burton. "AKF shares the Biden Administration's goal of ending the pandemic as quickly as possible with rapid, effective deployment of vaccines and we stand ready to work with the Administration on public health education efforts."

"It is also critically important for the new Administration to focus on the non-communicable diseases that shorten so many lives, and we are in particular calling on President Biden to prioritize our nation's kidney health," Burton said. "Kidney disease is growing at alarming rates and today affects about 15% of American adults, with people of color at greater risk for kidney failure. It is long past time for our nation's leaders to elevate kidney disease research, prevention, detection, treatment and access to health coverage, and to address social determinants of health and health disparities. AKF is working tirelessly on these priorities and we look forward to working with the Biden Administration to reduce the burden of kidney disease on our country."