DENVER, Sept. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Kidney Care (NYSE: DVA), a division of DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, joins the American Nephrology Nurses' Association (ANNA) in celebrating the week of Sept. 10, 2017, as Nephrology Nurses Week. 

Nephrology nurses in the U.S. provide life-saving care to nearly 600,000 end-stage renal disease patients every day. Nephrology Nurses Week was designed by the American Nephrology Nurses Association as a way to honor nurses who care for patients with kidney disease. Each year, the second full week of September is Nephrology Nurses Week.

"At DaVita Kidney Care, our nurses play a key role in assessing, educating and treating our 194,600 patients, and we could not provide quality care without them," said Mandy Hale, vice president of nursing at DaVita Kidney Care. "Our nurses give tirelessly of themselves to treat, care for and empower our patients through providing them education, care and compassion."

At DaVita, we strive to create a place of nursing excellence and advancement.  Our nursing strategy involves a number of programs to support us in our goals to grow, engage and attract nurses. To celebrate nurses and ensure they have career opportunities, DaVita has begun reimbursing RNs for certain costs associated with Certified Dialysis Nurse (CDN) and Certified Nephrology Nurse (CNN) certifications. In addition, DaVita will reimburse teammates for certain prep materials and exam fees. All regular, active full- and part-time RNs are eligible for this program, even if not operating in a direct patient care RN role – this includes facility administrators and clinical support specialists.

Additionally, DaVita leaders hold nurse roundtable discussions where nurses across the country travel to Denver, Colo. to spend the day engaging in brainstorming and idea sharing regarding patient care and nursing. These ideas improve the care we deliver and nursing in general.

Nephrology nurses are uniquely positioned to improve patient care and are often involved in the design of specific nursing and patient care programs such as patient education and medication management.

We encourage our nurses to gain and share nursing knowledge through programs such as our LeaRN Challenge where nurses are nominated and selected to attend professional nursing conferences such as ANNA conferences and the Annual Dialysis Conference (ADC). 

Nephrology Nurses Week was established in 2005 by ANNA to honor the devotion and commitment that nurses provide for patients with kidney disease. Being involved in caring for patients with kidney failure requires nurses to be highly attentive, driven and skilled.

To learn more about how to celebrate the work that nurses do for patients with kidney disease, visit AnnaNurse.org.

About DaVita Kidney Care
DaVita Kidney Care is a division of DaVita 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 dialysis services in the United States, DaVita Kidney Care treats patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVita Kidney Care 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, 2017, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,445 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 194,600 patients. The company also operated 217 outpatient dialysis centers located in 11 countries outside the United States. DaVita Kidney Care 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.

Contact Information
Media:
Kate Wilson Stabrawa
720-318-4080 
Kate.stabrawa@davita.com

SOURCE DaVita Kidney Care