March O' the Kidney Event Cancelled Due to Public Health Concern

Joplin, Mo – Regretfully, Freeman Health System must announce the cancellation of the March O’ the Kidney, which was planned for March 14, 2020, at Northpark Mall. After careful consideration and study of information from the Centers for Disease Control about the current coronavirus, we made the difficult decision to cancel. The health and safety of our patients, their families and our staff are our top priorities.

March O’ the Kidney is a one-mile walk at Northpark Mall designed to raise awareness about kidney disease and to raise money for our Freeman Dialysis Fund.  Many dialysis patients undergo treatment three to four hours, three times a week, which can interfere with their ability to work, making it difficult to pay for medical expenses, proper nutrition and transportation to transplant appointments.

Memory boards to honor a loved one will be available to sign at Freeman East Dialysis and Freeman Outpatient Dialysis Center in Webb City. Planned raffles of donated items will be conducted online, where supporters can also find a link to Donor Drive where they can financially support the Freeman Dialysis Fund.

We appreciate those who registered in advance and all who had planned to be part of the walk. If anyone has questions, they can contact Kennedy Thomas at krthomas@freemanhealth.com.

Diabetes and high blood pressure are causes of kidney disease, which impacts 37 million people in the United States or one in seven adults. Chronic kidney disease does damage to the kidneys and decreases their ability to remove waste products and excess fluid from the body. For some people, that’s when dialysis is necessary. Dialysis artificially removes waste products and extra fluid from your blood when your kidneys can no longer do so. It’s a lifesaving treatment as kidney disease increases your risk of having heart and blood vessel disease.

####

About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2019, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers.  U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System the Best Hospital in Southwest Missouri for 2019.  With more than 300 physicians on staff representing more than 70 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services and women’s services. Additionally, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.