DaVita Kidney Care recognizes June as National Men's Health Month

DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, recognizes the month of June as National Men's Health Month and the importance of bringing awareness to the health care issues that affect men.

"Kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death in the United States and men with kidney disease are more likely than women to progress into kidney failure," said John Wigneswaran, M.D., vice president of clinical affairs for hospital services for DaVita Kidney Care. "It's important for everyone to know their individual risk for developing kidney disease and the steps for preventive care."

National Men's Health Month was established in June 1994 to raise awareness of the health care issues affecting men. Of the 26 million Americans with kidney disease, men are more likely than women to develop chronic kidney disease (CKD) and are 50 percent more likely to develop end stage renal disease. DaVita Kidney Care offers educational tips and resources on DaVita.com that are designed to help individuals slow the progression or even stop kidney disease from reaching end stage.

DaVita Kidney Care encourages the general public to go to Davita.com/LearnYourRisk to take the 60-second CKD risk quiz. It is also important for those at risk to discuss treatment and preventative care options with their care team.

To honor its commitment to the men and women who care for its patients, DaVita HealthCare Partners encourages its teammates to participate in Village Vitality, a benefits and wellness program. The Village Vitality programs offer a variety of wellness initiatives to empower teammates take charge of their health. A total of 35,500 teammates and their family members use the Village Vitality program.

One Village Vitality initiative is Match the Mayor – where mayor and CEO of DaVita HealthCare Partners, Kent Thiry, champions a six-week health program that challenges teammates, friends and family to match him in healthy eating and/or exercise minutes. This program helps inspire people to achieve better health wellness and to create long-lasting, healthy habits.