In an effort to raise awareness and education of kidney disease during National Kidney Month, DaVita Inc., the nation's largest independent provider of kidney care, together with The Kidney TRUST™ -- a nonprofit organization focused on fighting kidney disease -- announced today a series of events around the United States during the month of March to bring much needed awareness to a silent epidemic effecting millions of Americans.

  (Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020729/DAVITALOGO)

  National Kidney Month events:

  March 6: Kidney Education and Testing at the DaVita® Corporate Office in
  Lakewood, CO
  March 7: Kidney Education and Testing during the American Diabetes
  Association Annual Expo
        Time: Open to the public from 9am-4pm
        Location: 700 14th Street, Denver, CO
  March 12: World Kidney Day
        Kidney Education and Testing at the National Courts' Employee Health
        Fair in Washington, DC
        Kidney Education and Testing in Sacramento, CA (Location TBD)
        Announcement of 10 Host Cities for the 2009 Kidney Awareness
        Time™ 5k Run/Walks
  March 17: Kidney Education and Testing at the ASD Healthcare Event in
  Frisco, TX
  March 19: Kidney Education and Testing at the Department of Education in
  Washington, DC
  March 24: Kidney Education and Testing during the Fifty and Fabulous
  Community Wellness Event
        Time: Open to the public from 2:00p-6:30p
        Location: The Waterford at Fair Oaks; 12025 Lee Jackson Memorial
        Highway, Fairfax, VA  22033
  March 25: Kidney Education and Testing at the National Credit Union
  Association in Washington, DC

Barbara Lawson, President of The Kidney TRUST said, "26 million American adults have chronic kidney disease (CKD), and 90% of them don't even know it because early-stage CKD rarely has symptoms. That's why we will be hosting these different events across the country - to let people know of the importance of getting tested now, rather than discover they have the disease when it is already too late and they need dialysis and a transplant."

Early testing and detection gives those with CKD an opportunity to take control of their disease and help delay or avoid the onset of life threatening kidney failure, which would require dialysis or a kidney transplant to maintain life. People with CKD can take steps to protect their kidneys by controlling high blood pressure, controlling their blood sugar, drinking lots of water, and eating right.

For more information about these events, please call 1-877-444-2398.

DaVita and Kidney Awareness Time are trademarks or registered trademarks of DaVita Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About The Kidney TRUST

The Kidney TRUST was founded in 2006 by DaVita Inc. The Kidney TRUST is an independent, nonprofit organization that believes everyone should be empowered to take a proactive role in their health. The Kidney TRUST seeks to reduce the advancement of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by broadly deploying cost-effective rapid-screening for CKD in non-medical settings, and providing financial assistance to people affected by CKD. For more information visit www.kidneytrust.org.

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.