Quinnipiac University physician assistant students assist with National Kidney Foundation screening at Aetna in Hartford

Vladimir Odinets, right, a Quinnipiac University physician assistant student, performed a blood pressure screening on Steve Ducos on March 13 during the National Kidney Foundation’s “Keep Healthy” screening at Aetna’s corporate headquarters in Hartford. Odinets was one of 16 physician assistant students from Quinnipiac who screened more than 50 Aetna employees for kidney disease.

During the event, the Quinnipiac students assisted with patient registration, and obtaining patient histories, blood pressures, and height, weight and body mass index measurements. They also provided educational materials to patients about the risks for kidney disease and how it can be prevented. 

“A majority of the kidney health screenings that our students participate in are specifically for underserved or uninsured populations in Connecticut,” said Johanna Chelcun, clinical assistant professor of physician assistant studies.  “The World Kidney Day screening at Aetna gave students the opportunity to interact with and educate patients who despite having health insurance and primary care providers, may not understand the causes and risk factors for chronic kidney disease. They were an important part of a national initiative by Aetna to educate employees about kidney disease prevention.”

Aetna has implemented a national Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) program aimed at improving clinical outcomes and reducing costs by slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease in members and facilitating gentler, less costly transitions to dialysis or pre-transplant care.

Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston. The university enrolls 6,500 full-time undergraduate and 2,500 graduate students in 58 undergraduate and more than 20 graduate programs of study in its School of Business and Engineering, School of Communications, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, School of Law, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, School of Nursing and College of Arts and Sciences. Quinnipiac consistently ranks among the top regional universities in the North in U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges issue. The 2014 issue of U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges named Quinnipiac as the top up-and-coming school with master’s programs in the Northern Region. Quinnipiac also is recognized in Princeton Review’s “The Best 377 Colleges.” The Chronicle of Higher Education has named Quinnipiac among the “Great Colleges to Work For.” For more information, please visit www.quinnipiac.edu. Connect with Quinnipiac on Facebook at www.facebook.com/quinnipiacuniversity and follow Quinnipiac on Twitter @QuinnipiacU.