ROXBURY TWP. — Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) Kenvil Dialysis Facility welcomed Rep. Leonard Lance, R-7, on a tour of the facility on Friday, June 5.

There, Lance was able to learn more about kidney care in the community and the life-saving dialysis care provided at the facility. Following the tour, Rep. Lance announced his support for The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2015 (H.R. 1130, S. 598) as a co-sponsor of the bill.

Lance represents both Roxbury Township and Mount Arlington.

The caregiving team, patients and family members at FMC Kenvil Dialysis briefed the congressman on The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act, a bill supporting improvements in the research, treatment and care of chronic kidney disease to benefit more than 636,000 Americans living with kidney failure which is known as end-stage renal disease, or ESRD.

Of those, 430,000 rely on life-sustaining dialysis care to survive, including 12,616 in New Jersey. It would also give patients with ESRD the choice to enroll in Medicare Advantage.

High Quality

“The health care team at the FMC Kenvil Dialysis Facility is delivering high quality care to patients,” said Lance, a member of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee.

“I enjoyed touring its state-of-the-art facility and meeting with the professional team. As a cosponsor of the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act, I am working in Congress to ensure that patients have access to the important services they need. I was pleased to learn more about these services during my tour.”

The clinic manager was also pleased with the visit.

“Our team appreciates the time Rep. Lance took to visit our facility. He was able to see first-hand the quality dialysis care we provide and also hear about The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2015. This legislation supports greater patient choice, coordinated research programs, and economic stability for dialysis facilities such as ours,” said Donna Buglisi, clinic manager for FMC Kenvil Dialysis Facility.

Needed Legislation

“We believe this legislation would strengthen the delivery of care to dialysis patients including those we treat in Kenvil as well as the millions of Americans living with kidney disease. Rep. Lance’s decision to co-sponsor this bill demonstrates his commitment to improving care for patients with chronic kidney disease.”

Advocates have long stressed that federal policies are needed to provide patient choice and to ensure access to life-sustaining dialysis, to increase research into CKD, and to create stability in Medicare’s crucial ESRD program.

Ultimately, the legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would improve patient outcomes through care coordination, expand access to traditionally underserved patient populations, and set the U.S. on the path towards a cure through efficiently managed and coordinated biomedical research.

“We applaud Rep. Lance for supporting this legislation and his commitment to ensuring our patients and the hundreds of thousands of kidney failure patients across the country continue to have access to the quality dialysis care they deserve,” Buglisi added.

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