DaVita Accelerates Commitment to Community Health with Nationwide Tour

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Sep 17, 2024, 09:00 ET

Kidney care leader provides free health screenings and resources to create awareness around kidney disease and open discussion around health care access

DENVER, Sept. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services, today announced the launch of its 2024 nationwide community health tour beginning September 24. The DaVita Health Tour is a mobile health screening and chronic disease education program supporting local communities across the country. Now entering its third year, the tour has provided thousands of free health screenings and equipped millions of community members with health education from coast to coast.

The 2024 tour will feature an enhanced experience in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association (ADA). DaVita and the ADA have established a multi-year collaboration focused on strengthening diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) education, awareness and support, especially for underserved populations. The organizations will join forces to offer mobile pop-up screenings in select markets, providing more opportunities to reach communities in greater need.

"Health care providers are often playing defense when it comes to caring for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. We're actively working to put them on offense through proactive patient engagement, education and resources that help address chronic disease preventatively," said Dr. Jeff Giullian, chief medical officer at DaVita. "The DaVita Health Tour is one of many ways we're supporting prevention and access to care with a community-driven focus—at both the national and local levels."

Free screenings will be available in communities across California, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas. Because screenings focus on assessing risk factors for kidney disease, DaVita selected regions with a higher prevalence of kidney disease. Kidney disease often presents few, or often no, symptoms until critical; therefore, DaVita aims to reach people who may benefit most significantly from educational resources before they require treatment for kidney disease or other chronic conditions.

"Connecting with people at stops throughout the tour has thrown into sharp focus the very real need to create and help ensure access to health care as a human right," Dr. Giullian said. "This tour is illustrative of our broader commitment to engaging with people who don't have access to care or don't know where to find resources."

The free health screenings available at each tour stop are designed to help individuals identify potential risk factors for CKD, diabetes and hypertension so they can work with their care provider to plan appropriate intervention as needed. Each screening includes:

A glucose test via fingerstick to understand diabetes risk
A blood pressure reading for hypertension awareness
Measurements to calculate body mass index (BMI) and assess obesity risk
An optional blood draw to offer more detailed measurement of kidney function
A personal and confidential patient results review

To see where the DaVita Health Tour is heading and sign up for a free health screening, visit: DaVita.com/HealthTour.

About DaVita Inc.
DaVita (NYSE: DVA) is a health care provider focused on transforming care delivery to improve quality of life for patients globally. As a comprehensive kidney care provider, DaVita has been a leader in clinical quality and innovation for more than 20 years. DaVita cares for patients at every stage and setting along their kidney health journey—from slowing the progression of kidney disease to helping to support transplantation, from acute hospital care to dialysis at home. As of June 30, 2024, DaVita served approximately 265,100 patients at 3,124 outpatient dialysis centers, of which 2,672 centers were located in the United States and 452 centers were located in 13 other countries worldwide. DaVita has reduced hospitalizations, improved mortality, and worked collaboratively to propel the kidney care industry to adopt an equitable and high-quality standard of care for all patients, everywhere. To learn more, visit DaVita.com/About.

Media Contact:
DaVita Newsroom
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SOURCE DaVita