DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney failure and disease (CKD), and The Kidney TRUST™, which aims to increase awareness of CKD through public education and testing programs, held a series of regional volunteer activities in March in honor of National Kidney Month, including CKD testing, health education seminars and community service projects.

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National Kidney Month seeks to raise awareness for more than 400,000 Americans living with Stage 4 CKD, which means their kidneys will fail without lifestyle change or medical intervention, and the vast majority of people afflicted don't even know it. The Kidney TRUST, an independent public charity founded by DaVita® in 2006, provided kidney disease screenings and education to more than 100 people with the support of DaVita volunteers during two public health fairs in Ohio and Michigan.

Since 2002, DaVita has worked to develop coordinated programs to increase disease awareness, provide early detection through health screenings, and once diagnosed, deliver top-quality care and critical disease management. "Our approach to shaping the future of kidney care is to no longer be just a 'dialysis company', but a kidney-care community, dedicating resources to the full continuum of kidney disease and nephrology practice needs," said Kent Thiry, CEO of DaVita.

DaVita also reached out to more than 100,000 Americans through its Kidney Education and You® program, which offers health education seminars and useful tools to help prevent kidney disease brought on by risk factors like diabetes and high blood pressure.

"DaVita is more than a dialysis provider for those with chronic kidney failure," said John Robertson, M.D., member of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO) at DaVita. "Through our partnerships with other organizations such as The Kidney TRUST, we are also consciously working to provide education and awareness about how quick and easy testing, along with simple diet and lifestyle changes, can help prevent at-risk people from developing the disease."

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. In just one example, more than 100 DaVita executives recently gave an "extreme makeover" to the St. Jude's Ranch for Children, Boulder City Campus as part of National Kidney Month. St. Jude's Ranch for Children provides homes and healing to abused, abandoned and neglected children.

DaVita and Kidney Education and You are registered trademarks of DaVita Inc. All other trademarks are 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, its kidney education and its community programs, please visit www.davita.com.

About The Kidney TRUST

The Kidney TRUST, an independent public charity, was formed to increase awareness of kidney disease through public education and testing programs so that progression of CKD to kidney failure can be delayed or prevented. The TRUST's programs are intended to complement the efforts of other nonprofit organizations that focus on CKD, as well as develop solutions to address the critical unmet needs of people with CKD. For more information about The Kidney TRUST, please visit www.kidneytrust.org.

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SOURCE: DaVita Inc.