10/20/2026
Thank you to Illinois State Senator Li Arellano, Jr for visiting a dialysis clinic and connecting with the kidney community! 💙
Opportunities like these help highlight the experiences of people receiving dialysis and the importance of ensuring patients’ voices are heard in conversations about their care.
We appreciate Senator Li’s engagement with the community and the opportunity to raise awareness of the needs of people living with kidney disease.
I just toured DaVita’s new Whiteside dialysis center on Lincolnway in the City of Sterling. Thank you to Tasha O’Brian for leading this! We talked to some patients who wanted to meet, as well as staff, and discussed the new facility.
The biggest topic was transportation needs, especially for disabled patients. Public transportation is available, but due to liability concerns it has limits in how it can maneuver our folks in wheelchairs or with similar needs. Accessibility challenges lead to missed appointments, lack of proper medical care, and financial strain on those in need.
Transportation has been a huge topic more broadly, as many of you know. School transportation funding has been cut back; rural road and bridge funds were decimated in the funding formula shift to mass transit for Chicago; and private fundraising is often required (!) to even pay for abused children to get critical needs such as transport for mental health care follow-up.
We all realize Illinois economy and finances are in poor shape. Even in such a financial triage period, we must prioritize those who are least capable of supporting themselves. We have work to do in that regard.
