Cleveland, Ohio – February 4 – The Cleveland Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP) has won the Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX) COVID-19 Kidney Care Challenge for the distribution of pandemic prevention kits to Centers for Dialysis Care (CDC) patients. Cleveland MOTTEP was recognized in the first round of submissions and will receive a prize of $20,000.
The KidneyX COVID-19 Kidney Care Challenge seeks solutions that reduce the transmission of the coronavirus among people with kidney disease as well as reduce the risk of kidney damage among people who contract the virus. The challenge encourages healthcare providers, staff, patients, and caregivers on the front lines to share demonstrated solutions — particularly those implemented during the pandemic.
“We are pleased Cleveland MOTTEP, our valued partner in patient-centered care, is being honored for its commitment to education,” says Gary Robinson, CEO & President of CDC.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted disparities in healthcare and Cleveland MOTTEP continues to be part of the solution – educating communities about disease prevention and awareness – and we celebrate and support the organization’s strategic involvement in our local community,” notes Robinson.
Cleveland MOTTEP received funding from the Ohio Commission on Minority Health to provide 500 dialysis patients with COVID-19 pandemic kits to encourage the use of self-protection strategies for COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic prevention kits included:
- Hand sanitizer
- Pocket tissues
- “Stop the Spread” information magnet
- COVID-19 checklist for prevention brochure
- The 2019 novel coronavirus brochure
- “Stop the Spread” wristband
- “Stop the Spread” bookmark
CDC senior leadership, Cleveland MOTTEP staff, volunteers, and dialysis clinic staff collaborated to educate minority patients on the importance of COVID-19 prevention. MOTTEP’s team of volunteers assisted in safely assembling the kits. Additionally, posters were displayed throughout the centers and videos were available to educate patients on self-protection strategies.
The COVID-19 pandemic prevention kits were given to patients at two CDC locations in a region where the social vulnerability index was high. CDC staff, including nurses, dietitians, social workers, and other frontline workers provided the kits to patients, fielded patient questions as needed, and provided further COVID-19 education, documented in the electronic medical record (EMR).
About Cleveland MOTTEP
The Cleveland Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP) has had a visible presence in the minority community for 25 years and is the only organization in Ohio providing community-based, culturally specific transplant, health, and prevention education exclusively to the minority community. Cleveland MOTTEP is a community partner of the Centers for Dialysis Care and headquartered at the Centers’ East facility. Centers for Dialysis Care and the Rosenberg Foundation support MOTTEP as the program pursues new avenues to connect, educate, and register organ, eye, and tissue donors during COVID-19.
About KidneyX
The Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX) is a public-private partnership between the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) to accelerate innovation in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases. KidneyX seeks to improve the lives of the 850 million people worldwide currently affected by kidney disease by accelerating the development of drugs, devices, biologics, and other therapies across the spectrum of kidney care including prevention, diagnostics, and treatment.