Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego, San Diego's largest home dialysis provider, announces its countywide educational series throughout the month of March to help inform advanced kidney disease patients and their loved ones about the disease and importance of understanding their treatment options, including home dialysis. All individuals who think that they, or a loved one, may be at risk of having advanced kidney disease are also encouraged to take advantage of free educational opportunities in their area.

Throughout March, Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego will be hosting two community Town Hall meetings for patients and their family support groups, one in San Marcos on Mar. 19 and then again in Chula Vista on Mar. 23. Free one-on-one consultations with Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego's team of knowledgeable doctors, nurses and nutritionists are also being offered at its two office locations in North San Diego in the Poway area and South San Diego in Chula Vista. Patients and their family members/loved ones can get more information about the upcoming Town Hall meetings or schedule a free, personal consultation by contacting Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego at 1-877-336-4733 or http://www.hdtherapies.com.

"While there are 26 million Americans living with advanced kidney disease, there is still a significant lack of awareness and understanding about the disease," said Andrew King, M.D., Medical Director of Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego and Head of Nephrology at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif. "Our primary goal is to use National Kidney Month as an opportunity to help raise awareness for this growing and very serious epidemic, and to help dialysis patients and their loved ones, in particular, realize that they do have choices when it comes to dialysis treatments. There is more to living than life in a dialysis clinic."

Dr. King and his team of experts at Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego will be available to discuss a number of issues surrounding advanced kidney disease, including its seriousness if left untreated, how and when to recognize if somebody may be at risk, the importance of regular kidney screenings, and the various treatment options that are available for those with advanced kidney disease, including home dialysis.

In addition, the Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego team will be on-hand to answer any questions from the community and provide insight into the benefits of a home dialysis program for individuals who are currently undergoing dialysis treatments in a public dialysis unit.

"While advanced kidney disease is an epidemic of critical proportions, an even bigger crisis is the lack of education that exists about the disease and the fact that when patients are told they need regular dialysis treatments to live, they are not made fully aware of all their treatment options, including home dialysis,"

said Dr. King. "Yet patients who are on a home dialysis program can greatly improve their quality of life. By being able to dialyze in the privacy, safety and comfort of their own home, patients say they feel better, are more active, can eat and drink more of what they want, and in general can get back to living because their schedules no longer revolve around regular visits to the dialysis clinic. Many patients even undergo their dialysis treatments in their sleep, and what the majority of people don't know is that home dialysis is covered by Medicare and many private health insurances, just the same as dialysis treatments in a clinic."

Further details about the upcoming educational Town Hall meetings are below. Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego invites all San Diego County residents to get educated about this life-threatening disease.

"Understanding Advanced Kidney Disease"

-- San Marcos: Thursday, Mar. 19, 2009, 6-8 p.m.
San Marcos Community Hall
3 Civic Center Drive
San Marcos, CA 92069-2949

-- Chula Vista: Monday, Mar. 23, 2009, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Chula Vista Library Auditorium
365 F Street
Chula Vista, CA 91910

About Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego

Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego is the largest provider of home dialysis therapies, treatment options and care throughout San Diego County for patients living with advanced kidney disease. The program was founded in 2004. Andrew King, M.D. is the Medical Director of Home Dialysis Therapies, and Head of Nephrology at Scripps Clinic. Along with the team of nephrology doctors and nurses they will meet the unmet need of home dialysis in the San Diego community.

The program offers patients with advanced kidney disease a complete dialysis toolkit and ongoing medical support to dramatically improve their quality of health, independence and lifestyle by performing dialysis in the comfort of their own home. This includes all training and education, state-of-the-art equipment and a complete staff of nephrologists and registered nurses that are always available to ensure the utmost safety and wellness of every patient. Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego serves all of San Diego County with its two office locations in Chula Vista and North San Diego near Poway.

Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego is a partner with Baxter Healthcare, Inc. and NxStage to provide its patients with the most advanced technology and care available in the dialysis community.

For more information, call 1-877-336-4733 or visit http://www.hdtherapies.com.

About Andrew King, M.D., Division Head of Nephrology, Scripps Clinic

Andrew King, M.D. is the Medical Director of Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego, as well as Division Head of Nephrology at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif., one of the nation's largest and most well respected health care organizations.

Dr. King was board certified in Internal Medicine in 1986 and Nephrology in 1988. He received his medical degree from Northwestern University in 1983 and served his internship and residency specializing in Internal Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital-Chicago. Dr. King trained in Nephrology at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School and was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard for several years before being recruited to New England Medical Center Tufts University School of Medicine where he was an Associate Professor of Medicine and Program Director of Nephrology Training. He was recruited to La Jolla, Calif. in 2001, and is the Division Head of Nephrology and Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Diego Medical School. Dr. King has authored more than sixty manuscripts on Nephrology, has published chapters in all the major Nephrology textbooks and received numerous awards for excellence in teaching and patient care.

Home Dialysis Therapies