DaVita Celebrates World Kidney Day and National Kidney Month

National Kidney Month provides reminder to know your risk of kidney disease

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Mar 10, 2016, 10:13 ET

DENVER, March 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, today encourages individuals around the world to know their risk of kidney disease in honor of National Kidney Month and World Kidney Day, celebrated globally on March 10.

An estimated 31 million adults in the U.S. have chronic kidney disease, approximately one in 10. Despite the large number, many remain unaware of their risk for not only kidney disease, but also kidney failure as it is typically symptomless until later stages.

Jordan Bupp knows firsthand the difficulties of having kidney disease and learning to persevere through adversity. "Dialysis is not slowing me down. Your life isn't over. In this seemingly dark place, you can find good in it. Tomorrow is another day," said Bupp, a peritoneal dialysis patient with DaVita Kidney Care.

If kidney disease is detected in early stages, the progression can usually be slowed or prevented altogether. If allowed to progress into kidney failure, a person must get a transplant or start dialysis in order to survive.

Those with diabetes and high blood pressure are at the greatest risk for developing or having kidney disease. Other major risk factor groups include minority populations who are disproportionately affected – particularly African-Americans, Hispanics and American Indians. Additional risk factors include people with cardiovascular disease, obesity, high cholesterol, lupus and a family history of the disease.

According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

One in three people with diabetes has kidney disease.
One in five people with high blood pressure has kidney disease.
African-Americans are about three and a half times more likely to develop kidney failure than whites.
Hispanics are one and a half times more likely to develop kidney failure than non-Hispanics.

DaVita Kidney Care provides a breadth of resources to help those living with kidney disease to manage their health, stay employed and maintain a high-quality of life with kidney disease. DaVita Kidney Care's top priority is patient quality of life. DaVita Kidney Care is the clinical leader in two programs from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 46 percent of DaVita's centers are rated with four or five stars compared to 23 percent for other major providers in the CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System. In addition, results from CMS' Quality Incentive Program show that DaVita Kidney Care outperformed the industry in every category with 98.6 percent of its centers being among the top clinical performance tiers in the country.

DaVita Kidney Care resources include:

myDaVita – an online community dedicated to helping manage your health, find support from others, and engage family and friends in an interactive forum. Sign up at DaVita.com/JoinMyDaVita to share stories, gain insights and connect with others.
DaVita Diet Helper – Take control of your health through diet management – a significant way to delay the progression of kidney disease. In addition to 1,000-plus kidney-friendly recipes, DaVita Diet Helper™ offers a way to track potassium, phosphorus and sodium levels. Learn more at DaVita.com/MyDietHelper.
Find a Nephrologist – It is important to find the right nephrologist to help you manage your kidney disease. Visit DaVita.com/FAD to locate a nearby nephrologist.
Stay Employed – Working while on dialysis can have both physical and emotional benefits, including lower rates of depression, fewer hospitalizations, and higher scores on general health and vitality tests. Find out more about the benefits of working and how to have conversations about kidney disease with your employer at DaVita.com/WorkingBenefits.

To take the quiz and learn about risk factors and access other kidney disease resources, please visit DaVita.com/LearnYourRisk.

About DaVita Kidney Care
DaVita Kidney Care is a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners 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 December 31, 2015, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,251 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 180,000 patients. The company also operated 118 outpatient dialysis centers located in 10 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.