HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2012-- DaVita®, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, announced that Dave Blank, military veteran and regional operations director for DaVita, received the Department of Defense PatriotAward for his work to support military veterans and those in the armed forces reserves.

Harris Soofi, a dialysis nurse for the Army Reserves and DaVita’s Northstar Clinic, nominated Blank for his unique engagement with the military community as part of DaVita’s company-wide efforts to become a top military-friendly employer in the U.S.

“Blank represents a fine tradition of supporting our nation’s troops,” said Soofi. “We recognize his leadership and continued commitment at DaVita to making sure service members have what they need to transition back and forth between their civilian and military careers.”

The Patriot Award is given to supervisors and bosses nominated by a guardsman or reservist employee for support provided directly to the nominator, including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.

DaVita currently hires military veterans and spouses through memberships in programs like Milicruit’s 10,000 Job Challenge and Military Spouse Employment Partnerships. When active duty calls, DaVita supports its reserve and guard members through the Star Troopers Program, continued health care coverage and the DaVita Village Network, which can provide up to $5,000 in financial assistance each year. There are also options for paid military leave.

DaVita’s Village Veterans team, made up of company leaders who are military veterans, also assists in the on-boarding process for new hires through a mentorship model that allows teammates to ask for advice and help as well as general questions to assist in making their transition successful.

DaVita has received numerous awards for its military-friendly employment efforts including Best For Vets Employers by Military Times Edge Magazine (2010, 2011 and 2012), GI Jobs Top 100 Military Friendly Employers (2010, 2011 and 2012) and Most Valuable Employer Military by civilianjobs.com (2011 and 2012).

The Northstar DaVita Dialysis Center serves Harris County. For more information, please call (281) 448-4506 or visit them at 380 W. Little York Road, Houston, TX 77076.

DaVita and DaVita HealthCare Partners are trademarks or registered trademarks of DaVita Healthcare Partners Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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 ofSeptember 30, 2012, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 1,912 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 150,000 patients. The company also operated 24 outpatient dialysis centers located in five 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
Lauren Moughon, 303-876-6612
Lauren.Moughon@DaVita.com