In the wake of hurricane Milton in late 2024, DaVita teammates dedicated their time and support to patients in the Tampa, Florida, area who needed life-sustaining treatment to survive.

“The most important thing for us is the people, all our patients, that is the reason we are here,” Eugenia Sosa, a DaVita nurse, said about volunteering on Sunday at the Central Tampa Dialysis center.

Taking care of patients comes naturally to DaVita teammates (employees), so it was no surprise to find them going above and beyond to support patients. Biomedical teammates and others worked diligently to restore power and water in centers after the storms. Teammates also worked to create access to treatment for patients displaced by the storm and made time to provide food and drinking water to those in need.

During extreme weather and natural disasters, DaVita’s emergency management team, as well as local teams in impacted areas, activate efforts to prioritize patient safety and access to care. Skipping dialysis treatment can be life-threatening, so it is extremely important that patients show up to treatment and that teammates are there and ready for them.

 Teammates look to the company’s values and community-driven culture as they work to care for their communities.

DaVita teammate Lisa Franklin, RN, a nurse who had only worked for DaVita for a few months at the time of the storm, said she believes patients are extremely grateful because dialysis treatment is so important for people living with end-stage kidney disease.

"For me, serving the patients is always an honor," Franklin said. "To go above and beyond to make sure they get the treatment that is needed because it is so vital ...to their well-being."

Kevin McCormick, a biomedical operations manager, works with his team to assess damage that’s resulted from storms and work to restore centers so they can re-open and serve patients.

“I am proud of my team, the roles that they take on and the lengths that they go to.” McCormick said when asked how he feels about the work he does, “We always try to be safe and invested in what we are doing, taking care of each other is a beautiful thing.”