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The Central Illinois Memorial Kidney Fund was formed in 1976 to serve chronic kidney disease patients receiving dialysis. Its major function is to collect and distribute funds to chronic kidney disease patients for such things as transportation assistance, emergency medication costs, and where no other help is available, for emergency living expenses. CIMKF provides funds for the above necessities when all other avenues of assistance have been exhausted.
Private insurance and Medicare pay for the cost of dialysis - approximately $50,000 per patient, annually. However, chronic kidney disease patients may spend hundreds of dollars monthly on medication alone. Patients who dialyze three days per week for four hours a day often are unable to continue full-time employment. As a result, their income is often drastically reduced. Unless the patient becomes a candidate for a kidney transplant, this process can be expected to continue indefinitely.
There are in excess of 800 patients within a 100-mile radius of Peoria who are being treated at one of the renal care facilities in Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Stark, Marshall, McLean, Fulton, Knox, Livingston, Henry, Bureau, Putnam, La Salle, and Macon counties.
The main sources of funding are the annual benefit presented by the Morton Civic Chorus and the annual CIMKF Golf Outing. Additional funds are received through memorials and contributions made directly to CIMKF.
A Board of Directors, all of whom volunteer their time, meet monthly to review requests and the needs of patients. Professional assistance is provided to the board by physicians, nurses, social workers, and occupational therapists. In addition, a Community Advisory board meets annually to discuss future objectives and fund raising ideas. The financial books of CIMKF are reviewed annually.
Since there are no administrative salaries, office rentals, paid personnel, or national affiliation obligations, virtually 100% of all funds raised remain in the local area to provide direct patient assistance.