SALISBURY — The National Kidney Foundation of Maryland (NKF-MD) will hold a free KEY (Kidneys: Evaluate Yours) health screening 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 2 at James M. Bennett High School, 300 East College Avenue, as part of Peninsula Regional Medical Center’s HealthFest.

As part of NKF-MD’s mission of early detection and early intervention, KEY screenings identify early markers for high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney disease.

No appointment is needed and any adult can participate. Lasting about 20 minutes, the screening includes blood pressure and weight checks, as well as counseling with a doctor and dietitian. Those needing to have their blood sugar and kidney function checked may have blood tests.

For more information about these screenings, visit www.kidneymd.org or call 410-726-8732 to speak with Nicole Scharf, NKF-MD’s director of field services for the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Southern Delaware.

Overall, kidney disease affects 26 million people — that’s one in nine Marylanders. One in three American adults — 73 million people — are at risk for kidney disease, and the risk increases to one in two over the course of a lifetime.

Most people affected don’t realize they have it until the condition has progressed. In fact, 25 percent of the 1,229 people screened in fiscal year 2015 by NKF-MD demonstrated significant results.

“For every 10 people who have kidney disease 9 of them do not know that they have it,” said Traci Barnett, NKF-MD’s president and CEO. “We encourage people to get tested because early detection and treatment can slow or prevent the progression of kidney disease.”