On World Kidney Day, March 14, 2024, Northwest Kidney Centers presented the Clyde Shields Distinguished Service Award to Rich Bloch, past Foundation Board of Trustees Chair and transplant recipient. The Clyde Shields Distinguished Service Award recognizes people who make significant contributions to the welfare of kidney patients through advocacy, clinical care or research.
The awarding of this honor, which was originally designated for 2021, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Celebrating 30 years of recognizing outstanding service, Northwest Kidney Centers will sunset the Clyde Shields Distinguished Service award.
Rich joined the Foundation Board in 2009 as a predialysis patient and served a two-year term as Foundation Board Chair in 2015-2017. During his tenure on the Foundation Board, Rich volunteered to co-chair the Elevating Eastside Kidney Care capital campaign to raise funds for a significant remodel of the Bellevue clinic where he initially received dialysis. The campaign exceeded expectations, raising $3.71 million toward the $8 million project, the most money raised for a capital project at Northwest Kidney Centers to date.
Rich was also a passionate and vocal ambassador for Northwest Kidney Centers and people living with kidney disease. He and his wife, Diane, visited Washington, D.C. to advocate for legislation that benefits kidney patients, transplant recipients and donors. He and Diane were also advocates and ambassadors with our state legislative delegation.
Rich went on to become a member of Northwest Kidney Centers Board of Trustees serving as its Chair. During his tenure on the governance board, he served on multiple committees and led Northwest Kidney Centers through the search for a new president and CEO, its first since 1998.
A former Northwest Kidney Centers Bellevue clinic patient, Rich quickly decided home was the place to be. He and Diane went through four weeks of intensive training to learn how to give Rich hemodialysis at home. They then visited each Northwest Kidney Centers dialysis clinic, set up their home dialysis machine in the clinic, and demonstrated to patients how to give themselves dialysis at home. This required an incredible donation of their time to schedule, set up, run treatments and return to their home in Snohomish.
In addition to being active, involved and caring leaders, Rich and Diane are generous donors to Northwest Kidney Centers.
In light of Rich’s significant contributions to the welfare of kidney patients through advocacy, clinical care and research, we are pleased to award him the 2021 Clyde Shields Distinguished Service Award*.
*Due to the pandemic, the award ceremony was held in 2024 at the grand opening of Northwest Kidney Centers’ Dialysis Museum in its new Burien location.