Board Members
Nancy Scott
President
Julie Crandall
Vice President
Diane Brisbane
Secretary
Mike Guffey
Treasurer
Andrew Conkling
Danny Iniguez
Robert Lee
Jack Reynolds
Advisory Council
Kathryn Aebel-Groesch,
President’s Message
MSW
Sandra Amaral
M.D., M.H.S.
Akhtar Ashfaq
M.D.
Laura Bishop Arentz
M.B.A., M.S., R.D., L.D.N
Nisha Bhatt
M.D.
Kerri Cavanaugh
M.D., M.H.S.
Debbie Cote
M.S.N., R.N., C.N.N., N.E.-B.C.
Steven Curtiss
M.D.
Elizabeth Jones
L.C.S.W.
Rajnish Mehrotra
M.D.
Cheryl Neal
M.D.
Maureen O’Reilly-Landry
Ph.D
Velma P. Scantlebury
M.D., F.A.C.S
Jessianna Saville
M.S., R.D.N, C.S.R., L.D., C.L.T.
Barry Smith M.D.
Dear friends
As I watch the change of seasons from winter to spring, I also see some exciting things in store for our
membership. We still have our two Facebook pages, one for DPC and one for the DPC Education Center.
We hope you follow both! And each of the groups still has its own website which we hope you visit
frequently as new information continues to be added. We do not want to take away the good things we
have going, we just want to add to them!
We are making 2018 special for our members. We want to acknowledge our readers, our webinar and
conference call attendees, our advocates and those of you who frequent our websites. We want to learn
from you and gather your stories and opinions on a variety of topics. We also will let each of you know
what free educational programs we will be presenting as a webinar, conference call, or on Facebook
Live so that you can take advantage of these offerings. Finally, you will get information quickly about
potential new policies or legislative actions that could affect the care that kidney patients receive. This
will enable you to take action as needed.
Next, I want to remind you that DPC also has some new membership benefits that give you access to
discounts on products and services you can use- Office Depot, Lenovo, Avis, Budget and UPS! Check
them out!
Keeping you up to date on all that is going on in the world of kidney disease is an important part of
what DPC offers you. As a member you will receive our patient newsletter “hot off the press.” This issue
has stories written by patients, a care partner, and professionals in the field, including a psychologist,
dietitian, and social worker. Read below to find articles about enhancing a couple’s relationship,
learning how to handle the potential loss of a kidney transplant, tips on what to expect when first
starting dialysis, inflammation, and better eating. Very importantly, you will find an article that shows
how I think our DPC membership has impacted Congressional thinking and priorities, including how the
Medicare Part B Improvement Act helps kidney patients and how the recent government spending bill
includes dialysis needs. The DPC patient voice does make a difference!
I hope that if you are not a member yet, you will become one. It is free, it is easy to join, and we
value you and want you to be part of our DPC family. You can join or update your membership at
www.dialysispatients.org/tell-us-more-about-yourself. Come grow with us!
Ph.D
Joanne Smith
Sincerely,
R.N.
Kathleen Smith
B.S., R.N., C.N.N.
Joan Thomas
M.P.A., C.E.M., A.B.C.P., M.E.P.
Steve Wilson
M.A., C.S.P.
Nancy L. Scott
DPC Education Center
Board President