National Transplant Assistance Fund (NTAF), a national nonprofit organization serving the organ transplant community, has received a $5000 gift from DaVita Inc. This award was given in honor of Dr. W.J. Kolff, inventor of the first dialysis machine. Dr. Kolff was recognized for his contribution to patients with kidney disease at a gala celebration of dialysis partnerships in Washington, DC hosted by DaVita Patient Citizens, a patient-led, nonprofit dialysis patient organization founded by DaVita.

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DaVita's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Charles McAllister stated, "We appreciate the mission of the NTAF to remove financial barriers to the option of transplantation. We give this gift in order to further that mission for kidney patients."

DaVita is a provider of life-saving dialysis treatments for approximately 101,000 patients with kidney failure. As a leader in the dialysis community, DaVita understands how critical it is for patients to have the option of transplantation. "For many," Dr. McAllister stated, "it is truly a second lease on life."

For 23 years, NTAF has been working with transplant patients and their families to raise money for uninsured medical expenses. NTAF helps families to organize, launch and sustain grassroots fundraising campaigns in honor of specific patients, serves as fiscal administrator for the funds raised, and pays uninsured transplant expenses upon request.

NTAF has raised over $40,000,000 for thousands of patients and last year paid out over $3,500,000 in medical grants. NTAF is grateful to DaVita, Inc. for their generous donation, which will be used for grants to kidney patients.

SOURCE: DaVita Inc.