DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney failure and disease (CKD), recently conducted its first-ever EYE on CKD Nutrition (Expand Your Expertise in CKD Nutrition) workshop on March 6, 2008 in southern California. The workshop is designed to help non-renal dietitians better understand the unique nutritional needs of CKD patients.

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Developed by the DaVita® Nutrition Council and conducted by DaVita renal dietitians, EYE on CKD is a one-day continuing education workshop for hospital, long-term care and community-based non-renal dietitians who care for CKD patients. Additionally, EYE on CKD addresses the growing number of early stage CKD patients who are at-risk of crashing into dialysis in a malnourished state or with unmanaged mineral and bone disorders due to poor nutritional care.

Nearly sixty registrants attended the March EYE on CKD workshop, which consisted of topics such as "When Kidneys Fail," "A Day in the Life of a Renal Dietitian," and "Healthy Choices-the DaVita Kitchen." DaVita renal dietitians also conducted workshops to teach attendees about the dietitian's role in helping patients monitor mineral and calorie intakes, preventing and managing mineral and bone disorders, and understanding the connection between anemia and the kidneys.

"This was a very exciting day for our DaVita dietitian presenters," said Debbie Benner, MA, RD, CSR, and National Director Nutrition Services at DaVita. "We were so thrilled to be able to promote CKD nutrition in such a positive way. By providing ongoing education to other dietitians, as well as our own teammates, we're ensuring that DaVita continues to serve as a role model for American health care while providing a high level of quality care for our patients."

"This was an incredible program," said one attendee. "It was presented simply, and I can incorporate the information into my work. I think this program should be offered to all dieticians and interns!"

Based on the overwhelmingly positive attendee feedback, DaVita plans to offer five additional EYE on CKD workshops this year. The next workshop will be held in Houston on May 13, followed by Baltimore on May 21.

Additionally, DaVita offers a wide-range of tools designed to help CKD patients manage their dietary and nutritional needs through its user-friendly Web site at http://www.davita.com/.

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 1,300 outpatient facilities and acute units in more than 700 hospitals located in 43 states and the District of Columbia, serving approximately 107,000 patients. For more information about DaVita and its kidney education programs, please visit www.davita.com.

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SOURCE: DaVita Inc.