DaVita Contest to Give Away Cruise to 'Kidney Idol'

DaVita Contest to Give Away Cruise to 'Kidney Idol'

Monday August 6, 12:08 pm ET

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA - News) announces the 2007 "Who's Your Kidney Idol" contest. The contest begins August 6, 2007. At that time people are invited to visit http://www.davita.com to nominate a kidney disease or dialysis patient, a caregiver, friend, spouse, health care professional or anyone in the chronic kidney disease or dialysis community who makes a difference to those around them. People who nominate are asked to share a 250-word or less uplifting, heartwarming and inspiring true story about their nominee. Nominations will be accepted from August 6 to November 6, 2007.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020729/DAVITALOGO )

Four finalists will be selected from all the nominees and posted on DaVita.com for website visitors to vote for their favorite. The finalist receiving the most votes will be the Kidney Idol and win a seven-day cruise for two to either Alaska or the Caribbean aboard a luxurious Royal Caribbean® cruise liner with dialysis available onboard. The contest is sponsored by Dialysis at Sea, DaVita and DaVita Patient Citizens (DPC).

The contest was created to recognize people who make a difference in the kidney community, provide inspiration to others and to let people on dialysis know that it is possible to travel while on dialysis.

"We hear so many wonderful things in our clinics every day about how people make such a positive difference in each others' lives. There are people living well with chronic kidney disease and on dialysis, and family members and health care professionals who rise to the occasion and maintain a positive outlook and productive lifestyle," states Kent Thiry, DaVita's CEO. "We wanted to honor these people by sharing their stories and awarding someone with a dream vacation."

Cruises are a vacation option for people on dialysis. Dialysis at Sea, http://www.dialysisatsea.com, which is providing the Kidney Idol cruise, offers dialysis treatment aboard the luxurious Royal Caribbean International® cruise liner. Dialysis at Sea is the largest provider of dialysis services aboard cruise ships in the world. Since 1977, Dialysis at Sea has helped thousands of individuals on dialysis and their families experience the pleasures of cruising and the excitement of taking their dream vacation, confident that all their shipboard medical needs are being handled by trained medical professionals.

DaVita also has dialysis centers in many popular travel destinations, such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando and Chicago. A dialysis center can be located by going to http://www.davita.com and using the Find a dialysis center online tool.

DaVita Patient Citizens (DPC), http://www.dialysispatients.org is a nationwide, non-profit, patient-governed dialysis patient organization. DPC, founded by DaVita but independent, is dedicated to improving dialysis patients' quality of life by developing awareness of dialysis-related issues, advocating for dialysis and pre-dialysis patients, improving the partnership between patients and caregivers, and promoting favorable public policy.

This is the second time the contest will be held on the DaVita.com website. In 2005, Valen Cover-Sheriff was selected the Kidney Idol and she and a guest set sail for the Caribbean on February 19, 2006.

About DaVita.com

DaVita.com is the premier online resource for information on dialysis and chronic kidney disease. From informative articles, videos and animated learning modules to recipes for the renal diet and other useful tools, DaVita.com is always adding to the wealth of information it offers website visitors. You are invited to discover "How kidneys work" and "How dialysis works", plus take advantage of special features including the DaVita.com discussion forum, find a dialysis center locator, insurance consultation, GFR calculator and more.

Sign up to receive the monthly DaVita.com newsletter and stay up-to-date on what's new on the website.

About DaVita Inc.

DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500 company, is one of the largest providers of dialysis services in the United States, providing dialysis services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney failure and disease. DaVita manages over 1,300 outpatient facilities and acute units in over 800 hospitals located in 42 states and the District of Columbia, serving approximately 100,000 patients. For more information please visit http://www.davita.com.

For more information about DaVita.com, please visit http://www.davita.com or call Ernie Barojas at (310) 536-2520.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070806/aqm119.html?.v=11

..................

My comment: Perhaps we could nominate Epoman posthumously? He deserves the recognition.