NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading independent medical group and a leading provider of kidney care services in the United States, today announced that the 10^th annual Tour DaVita will kick off this weekend outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Over the course of three days, participants will bike between 180 and 230 miles through Middle Tennessee to increase awareness of kidney disease and vital health screenings while fundraising for Bridge of Life.

"After 10 years, Tour DaVita returns to where it all began through gorgeous central Tennessee" said Dave Hoerman, chief wisdom officer. "We call it the Ride of a Lifetime. Riders push themselves at times to their physical limits to achieve far reaching goals they have set for themselves, all while helping to inspire the very special spirit of the ride, created by our riders and their shared passion."

Tour DaVita 2016 has the following schedule:

Sept. 25 – Participants will ride 62 miles through rolling hills and valleys on the first day, beginning in Lewisburg and ending at Rock Creek Park Campground.

Sept. 26 – On the second day, riders have the option of completing either a 68- or a 100-mile route. The route will zigzag through Rockvale, Eagleville, College Grove and Chapel Hill, ending on the outskirts of Franklin.

Sept. 27 – Participants finish off the three-day ride with a 67-mile loop route near a section of the Old Natchez Trace and through the South Appalachian foothills.

Riders participating in this year's Tour DaVita include DaVita patients, teammates and physicians, corporate sponsors, and teammates' family members and friends. 

To participate in the event, riders each achieved a fundraising goal and paid their own travel expenses. Individual fundraising combined with donations from DaVita and other corporate sponsorships is expected to contribute more than $1.2 million for Bridge of Life, a nonprofit organization founded by DaVita.

Bridge of Life strives to improve access to dialysis as well as primary care in underserved communities around the world. Bridge of Life also works to prevent kidney disease through early-detection testing and education for adults and children.

Tour DaVita, which is organized by Backroads, the "world's #1 active travel company™,"  has previously taken place in Tennessee/Alabama (2007), Wisconsin (2008), Michigan (2009), Washington State (2010), Connecticut/New York/Massachusetts (2011), Iowa (2012), South Carolina (2013), Oregon (2014) and North Carolina (2015).

To date, Tour DaVita has helped raise more than $8.6 million for nonprofits dedicated to raising awareness of kidney disease, providing kidney screenings and expanding access to dialysis care and primary care in developing countries.

Tour DaVita sponsors include Amgen, ASD Healthcare, Baxter International Inc., ADI Construction, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Meridian, NxStage Medical Inc., Pentec Health, Tata Consultancy Services and Wells Fargo.

For more information about the tenth annual Tour DaVita, please visit TourDaVita.org or Facebook at Facebook.com/TourDaVita. For more information about the Bridge of Life, a program of the DaVita Village Trust, please visit BridgeofLifeInternational.org. For more information on Backroads, please visit Backoads.com. To get live updates during the event, follow #TourDaVita on Twitter and Instagram.

About DaVita Inc. 
DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500® company, is the parent company of DaVita Kidney Care and HealthCare Partners. DaVita Kidney Care 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. As of June 30, 2016, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,293 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 185,000 patients. The company also operated 127 outpatient dialysis centers located in 11 countries outside the United States. HealthCare Partners, a DaVita Medical Group, manages and operates medical groups and affiliated physician networks in California, Nevada, New Mexico, Florida, Colorado and Washington in its pursuit to deliver excellent-quality health care in a dignified and compassionate manner. As of June 30, 2016, HealthCare Partners provided integrated care management for approximately 760,000 patients. For more information, please visit DaVita.com/about.

About Bridge of Life  
DaVita Village Trust (DVT) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by DaVita HealthCare Partners. Bridge of Life (BOL), the primary program of DVT, improves access to primary care and dialysis treatment in underserved communities around the world while also focusing on prevention of kidney disease through early-detection testing and education.  BOL serves thousands of men, women and children through four impact areas: kidney care, primary care, prevention and education, and medically supported camps for kids.

Media Contact:

Lindsey Robinson 
Lindsey.Robinson@DaVita.com 
(720) 925-3079

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SOURCE DaVita