DENVER, Sep 16, 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), will join more than 400 teammates (employees), family members and friends from around the country in Great Barrington, Mass., September 17 to kick off the fifth annual Tour DaVita(R) - a three-day, 250-mile bike ride to raise awareness and funds for the fight against kidney disease, with this year's beneficiary being The Kidney TRUST.

"Tour DaVita isn't a bike race, but rather a collection of like-minded people from across the country cycling together to spread awareness of a disease the affects one out of six adult Americans," said DaVita(R) Chairman and CEO Kent Thiry, who will also be participating in the ride. "I have ridden in Tour DaVita every year to date because this is too important of an event - and frankly, too much fun - to not participate."

To participate in Tour DaVita, riders raised a minimum of $750 to $2,000 in donations each and paid their own travel expenses. Their individual fundraising combined with donations from DaVita and other corporate sponsorship is expected to contribute more than $700,000 to The Kidney TRUST(TM), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to reduce the human and economic cost of chronic kidney disease across the United States.

"It's a staggering fact that 31 million Americans have kidney disease and equally troubling that most people have little or no knowledge of the consequences if kidney disease goes unchecked," said Annette Eros, president and CEO of The Kidney TRUST. "Through kidney screenings and educational programs, The Kidney TRUST is dedicated to helping increase awareness of kidney disease."

By the end of the 2011 ride, more than 1,600 DaVita teammates, physicians, family members and friends will have participated in the five Tours DaVita - riding more than 350,000 miles collectively and raising more than $3 million.

Since 2007, The Kidney TRUST has administered more than 15,000 kidney screenings as part of its CKD rapid-testing program and awarded more than 1,600 individual grants totaling nearly $3 million to help people on dialysis manage medical costs.

For more information about the fifth annual Tour DaVita, please visit www.tourdavita.org. For more information about The Kidney TRUST, visit www.kidneytrust.org.

DaVita and Tour DaVita are registered trademarks of DaVita Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About The Kidney TRUST

Founded in 2006, the Kidney TRUST is a national non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the human and economic cost of kidney disease. The Kidney TRUST is focused on increasing awareness of chronic kidney disease (CKD) through public education and early-detection testing programs so that progression of CKD to kidney failure can be delayed or prevented. The Kidney TRUST is also developing innovative solutions to address the critical unmet needs of people with CKD. Visitwww.kidneytrust.org for more information.

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 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 www.davita.com.

SOURCE: DaVita Inc.

DaVita Inc.
Vince Hancock
(303) 405-2272
vince.hancock@davita.com