DENVER, April 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita Inc.
(NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services in the
United States, today honors
National Donate Life Month, a time dedicated to encouraging
Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to
recognize those donors who have impacted the lives of others.
"Many of our dialysis patients are awaiting a life-changing
kidney transplant, and we need more donors to decrease the wait
time for eligible patients," said Bryan
Becker, M.D., MMM, FACP, CPE, chief medical officer for
DaVita Integrated Kidney Care. "We thank donors who have already
made a difference and ask others to consider changing a life by
becoming a living donor or agreeing to become a deceased donor when
renewing a driver's license or through a state's donor
registry."
A kidney from a living donor offers patients eligible for a
kidney transplant an alternative to dialysis and reduces the
potential for adding to the waitlist. This benefits the entire
kidney community.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, on average:
- The median wait time for an individual's first kidney
transplant is 3.6 years.
- Every 14 minutes, someone is added to the kidney transplant
list.
- Nearly 3,000 new patients are added to the kidney waiting list
each month.
While an overwhelming number of Americans support organ
donation, the disparity between donors and candidates for donation
continues. Accepting the responsibility to be a donor decreases
that disparity.
To donate a kidney, an individual must be 18 or older and be in
good physical and mental health. Individuals who would like to
learn more about donating a kidney and starting the registration
process can visit the National Kidney Registry or the National
Kidney Foundation.
To learn more about kidney disease and kidney transplants, visit
DaVita.com/Transplants.
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 Dec. 31, 2017,
DaVita Kidney Care operated or
provided administrative services at 2,510 outpatient dialysis
centers located in the United
States serving approximately 198,000 patients. The company
also operated 237 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.
Media:
Charles
Ferrer
charles.ferrer@davita.com
(720) 935-3339
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SOURCE DaVita Kidney Care