DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services, was named winner of the 2009 Recruiting Department of the Year award by the Electronic Recruiting Exchange (ERE). ERE (http://www.ere.net/) presents Recruiting Excellence Awards annually to organizations demonstrating best practices in recruiting and retention.

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The DaVita® team filled more than 3,300 nursing positions in 2008 while significantly improving service, as measured by hiring managers' surveys. ERE's judges rated the DaVita team very high for its use of recruiting metrics, quality processes, innovation, and for driving results.

Dennis Kogod, DaVita's Chief Operations Officer, commented, "We are very proud of the team. Through great partnership with our operational groups, they raised their efforts and results to a new level, which impacts the DaVita Village in so many wonderful ways."

"Our application showed a clear link between our recruiting efforts and business results, which positively impacts both patient and financial outcomes," said Tony Blake, Recruiting Director at DaVita. "We're not doing this in some sexy, technology industry - we are doing it in healthcare, some of the roughest recruiting terrain on the planet."

During 2008, DaVita launched a new careers site (http://careers.davita.com/) and site traffic increased by 55 percent.

"We are extremely excited to receive this special recognition. The ERE awards are the most prestigious in our field, and we're honored to be included with this year's impressive list of winners - organizations that are leaders in talent acquisition and human capital management," said Blake.

DaVita remains committed to shaping the future of healthcare. As part of a new Teammate Referral Program, DaVita donates $150 for each hired referral to The Kidney TRUST, a non-profit that provides kidney screenings at no cost in local communities.

"Great recruiting is not a destination, it's a journey," added Blake. "Our goal is to build a recruiting function that truly honors DaVita's mission and core values. We are in the process of doing just that."

DaVita is a registered trademark of DaVita Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About DaVita Inc.

DaVita Inc., a FORTUNE 500® company, is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, providing dialysis services and education for patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVita manages more than 1,400 outpatient facilities and acute units in more than 700 hospitals located in 43 states and the District of Columbia, serving approximately 110,000 patients. As part of DaVita's commitment to building a healthy, caring community, DaVita develops, participates in and donates to numerous programs dedicated to transforming communities and creating positive, sustainable change for children, families and our environment. For more information about DaVita, its kidney education and its community programs, please visit www.davita.com.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: LeAnne.Zumwalt@davita.com

SOURCE: DaVita Inc.