DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 23, 2013-- DaVita®, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc.(NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, today announced progress toward its corporate environmental goals for U.S. operations. DaVita aims to accomplish each of its five goals by the end of 2015.

“One of the pillars in DaVita’s Trilogy of Care is caring for our world,” said Kent Thiry, co-chairman and CEO of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. “By their nature, dialysis operations use a large amount of resources. We aim to reduce our environmental footprint while continuously improving the care provided to dialysis patients each day.”

DaVita’s U.S. environmental goals are guided by quantifiable 2010 year-end data. The purpose of creating these goals is to reduce DaVita’s environmental impact without compromising patient care, while also positioning DaVita to be a proven leader in sustainable health care.

As of December 2013, DaVita is pleased to report the following progress on its environmental goals:

• GOAL: Reduce energy consumption by 15 percent per treatment
  
  Progress: DaVita has reduced energy consumption by nine percent per treatment since 2010. To reach this reduction, DaVita ensures equipment is running at its full efficiency, operates 11 centers in the Northeast that use energy management systems to reduce energy consumption, and has piloted using a water microturbine to generate energy at locations in California.

• GOAL: Reduce water consumption by 10 percent per treatment
  
  Progress: DaVita has driven a 14 percent reduction in water usage, projecting a savings of 400 million gallons of water per year due to operational changes.

• GOAL: Reduce office paper consumption by 20 percent
  
  Progress: DaVita has implemented paper reduction programs such as transitioning from paper to electronic policy and procedures documents and implementing print-to-PDF capabilities. DaVita has new programs in place for 2014, such as piloting managed print systems, to place a larger focus on driving down overall paper use in 2014.

• GOAL: Increase teammate awareness/education by implementing one new sustainability program a year
  
  Progress: On average, DaVita has developed three new education programs per year for its teammates since developing these environmental goals. Programs include cell phone and toner recycling and empowering 800 “green champions” at DaVita centers and business offices across the country to ensure a clinic-level focus on sustainability.

• GOAL: Increase environmentally preferable procurement by 10 percent
  
  Progress: To date, DaVita has increased its environmentally preferable procurement by seven percent by forming various partnerships with vendors and focusing on selecting environmentally friendly products when available.

DaVita Village Green™ is DaVita’s corporate sustainability program that promotes conservation, stewardship and sustainability at offices and dialysis facilities across the nation to decrease the company’s environmental footprint wherever possible.

DaVita and DaVita HealthCare PartnersSM are trademarks or registered trademarks of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc.

About DaVita

DaVita is the dialysis division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., a Fortune 500® company that, through its operating divisions, provides a variety of health care services to patient populations throughout the United States and abroad. A leading provider of kidney care in the United States, DaVita delivers dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVita strives to improve patients’ quality of life by innovating clinical care, and by offering integrated treatment plans, personalized care teams and convenient health-management services. As of Sept. 30, 2013, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 2,042 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 166,000 patients. The company also operated 66 outpatient dialysis centers located in 10 countries outside the United States. DaVita supports numerous programs dedicated to creating positive, sustainable change in communities around the world. The company’s leadership development initiatives and social responsibility efforts have been recognized by Fortune, Modern Healthcare, Newsweek and WorldBlu. For more information, please visit DaVita.com.

Source: DaVita

DaVita
Ginger Pelz, 303-876-6611
Ginger.Pelz@DaVita.com