02/20/2024 01:30 PM Senate COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS

         SR   3-CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:30:46 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  DUNBAR announced  the consideration  of SENATE  RESOLUTION                                                               
NO. 3 Recognizing March 2024  as Chronic Kidney Disease Awareness                                                               
Month  in Alaska  to raise  awareness of  the need  for research,                                                               
screening  programs,  and  access  to care  for  individuals  who                                                               
suffer from chronic kidney disease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
He  said that  this  is the  introductory hearing  of  SR 3.  The                                                               
intention  is  to  have  committee  discussion  and  hear  public                                                               
testimony.  He invited  Senator  Gray-Jackson to  put herself  on                                                               
record and introduce her resolution.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:31:15 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON,  speaking as sponsor, introduced  SR 3. She                                                               
read the following sponsor statement:                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The  impact  kidney disease  has  on  patients and  our                                                                    
     healthcare system  cannot be understated. To  put it in                                                                    
     perspective, there  are more than 40  million people in                                                                    
     the United States with kidney  disease. This is roughly                                                                    
     equivalent  to  the  entire population  of  California.                                                                    
     Even worse,  more people will  die from  kidney disease                                                                    
     this year than breast or prostate cancer.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:32:16 PM                                                                                                                    
     Chronic kidney  disease (CKD) is often  asymptomatic in                                                                    
     the  beginning  making  early  detection  a  challenge.                                                                    
     Alaska  has many  high-risk populations.  The high-risk                                                                    
     ethnicities  in   Alaska  include   African  Americans,                                                                    
     Hispanics,  Asian  Americans,  Pacific  Islanders,  and                                                                    
     Alaska  Natives and  Native Americans.  Another at-risk                                                                    
     group  includes individuals  aged 65  and older,  which                                                                    
     make  up nearly  14  percent of  our population.  Those                                                                    
     living  with kidney  disease  face  challenges on  many                                                                    
     different  fronts.  Whether  it is  accessing  a  donor                                                                    
     kidney  for transplant,  choosing between  home or  in-                                                                    
     clinic  dialysis   while  juggling  a  job   or  family                                                                    
     responsibilities,  or the  constellation of  challenges                                                                    
     for this population adds an  additional layer of stress                                                                    
     to an already challenging  chronic condition. A further                                                                    
     complication  for those  suffering from  chronic kidney                                                                    
     disease is a lack of  health insurance which results in                                                                    
     lack of care  and poorer health outcomes  compared to 8                                                                    
     percent average  nationwide. Nearly  13 percent  of our                                                                    
     population under the age of 65 are underinsured.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Senate  Resolution  3 seeks  to  reduce  the impact  of                                                                    
     chronic  kidney  disease  by increasing  awareness  and                                                                    
     screening.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:34:04 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DUNBAR invited questions from committee members.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:34:13 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  OLSON  asked  about the  prevalence  of  chronic  kidney                                                               
disease and the number of people with kidney failure.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GRAY-JACKSON deferred  the  question to  her staff,  Ms.                                                               
Odom.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:34:28 PM                                                                                                                    
BESSE  ODOM,  Staff,  Senator  Elvi  Gray-Jackson,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, replied that  the answer is a little                                                               
hard to  define. Kidney disease is  not a medical issue  that the                                                               
state  actively   or  aggressively   tracks  compared   to  other                                                               
conditions, such  as cancer, heart  disease, or stroke.  She said                                                               
that she does  not necessarily have those numbers,  but there are                                                               
over  600  Alaskans  with  chronic  kidney  disease  who  require                                                               
dialysis treatment.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  OLSON  asked about  the  breakdown  of that  population,                                                               
specifically  the proportion  of  Alaska  Natives and  non-Alaska                                                               
Natives.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. ODOM  replied that she does  not have the breakdown  but will                                                               
gather that data for the committee.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR OLSON  asked whether  the type  of dialysis  treatment is                                                               
peritoneal dialysis,  administered through the abdomen,  or renal                                                               
dialysis, administered through a shunt in the wrist or arm.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ODOM answered  that the  facility administers  the treatment                                                               
through a dialysis port.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:36:08 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  DUNBAR asked  if there  were further  questions and  found                                                               
none.  He opened  public  testimony  on SR  3;  finding none,  he                                                               
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DUNBAR held SR 3 in committee.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:36:56 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  GRAY-JACKSON  thanked  the  committee  for  hearing  the                                                               
resolution.