DENVER, Sep 29, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services committed to improving the quality of life for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), today announced the company's first-ever dialysis clinic using solar thermal technology has shown a 75 percent reduction in natural gas consumption versus comparable DaVita facilities in the region.

The solar thermal technology was installed as a trial at DaVita's Scottsburg, Ind., facility in 2010 and initial data has been analyzed in 2011. In the dialysis process water must be heated to a temperature equivalent to the human body before it is filtered in the blood cleaning process. To lessen the amount of fossil fuels consumed in the water heating process solar thermal panels were installed on the roof of the facility, using the sun to naturally increase the average temperature of water used for treatment.

"DaVita strives to identify innovative ways to reduce our energy consumption," said Kent Thiry, chairman and CEO of DaVita. "We're very encouraged by the initial results from this trial."

DaVita will continue to analyze and evaluate the data for the remainder of the year. If the pilot remains successful after this time, DaVita hopes to expand the use of solar thermal technology at more facilities across the country. In the meantime DaVita is testing other energy reduction technologies, including a water turbine in San Francisco, in an effort to continuously improve and learn.

DaVita places a high value on reducing the company's environmental footprint and is credited with opening the nation's first LEED-certified dialysis facility as well as the first dialyzer recycling pilot.

Visit DaVita's newly launched sustainability page at http://www.davita.com/about/sustainability to learn more about the company's efforts.

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® 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 June 30, 2011, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 1,669 dialysis facilities, serving approximately 131,000 patients. 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 http://www.davita.com.

SOURCE: DaVita Inc.

DaVita Inc.
Media:
Mollie O'Brien, 303-405-2287
Mollie.obrien@davita.com