DENVER, Mar 14, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) --DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services that is committed to improving the quality of life for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), today thanked its 1,500 dietitians in recognition of Registered Dietitian Day.

Registered Dietitian Day highlights the dedication of registered dietitians (RDs) to improve nutrition for people around the world. DaVita's Nutrition Services Group is made up of 1,500 RDs across the U.S. who specialize in renal nutrition to improve the health of DaVita's 142,000 patients.

"At DaVita(R), we're committed to helping our patients live longer, but also to helping them live better, with a good quality of life," said Debbie Benner, vice president of DaVita Clinical Support Services. "Our dietitians give their all to help our patients eat a healthy diet and feel better."

Kidney patients must very closely monitor their nutrition in order to maintain healthy levels of phosphorus, calcium, and protein. Imbalance in a renal patient's diet can lead to illness, hospitalization, and even death.

March is also National Nutrition Month(R), and DaVita dietitians have been both working to improve DaVita teammates' (employees) nutrition and going out into communities across the U.S. to teach healthy eating in a fun, interactive way. Their efforts have been highlighted in an article atTodaysDietitian.com.

To learn more about Registered Dietitian Day and National Nutrition Month, as well as the nutrition education and information campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, visitwww.eatright.org/. To find more information on kidney friendly diet tips and the DaVita dietitians' health initiative in March visit www.davita.com/kidney-diet-tips/.

DaVita is a registered trademark of DaVita Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About DaVita

DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500(R) company, is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, delivering 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 Dec. 31, 2011, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 1,809 dialysis facilities in the United States, serving approximately 142,000 patients. The company also operated 11 outpatient dialysis centers located in three 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 www.davita.com.

SOURCE: DaVita Inc.

DaVita Inc.
Mollie O'Brien, 303-405-2297
Mollie.obrien@davita.com