DENVER, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita
Kidney Care, a division of DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading
provider of kidney care services in the United States, and Bridge of Life, a nonprofit
organization founded by DaVita Inc., are partnering for Bridge of
Life's Chronic Kidney Disease screening medical missions and pilot
program for community health workers. Launched in April 2017, the program will be implemented over
the next 18 months and aims to increase the availability of health
care to those who are high at risk of hypertension and kidney
disease in impoverished areas of Haiti and Nicaragua.
![Dr. Peter Pierrot during a Bridge of Life mission to Haiti in partnership with his clinic Double Harvest. Dr. Peter Pierrot during a Bridge of Life mission to Haiti in partnership with his clinic Double Harvest.](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/512049/Bridge_of_Life_mission.jpg)
"Currently, there is an unmet need in many developing countries
for prevention programs related to chronic illnesses," said
Greta Walker, senior director of
donor relations and communications for Bridge of Life. "This
project will transform the methods that local clinics use to
address life-threatening chronic illnesses by enhancing the skills
and knowledge of health authorities, community health workers and
community members."
For the past three years DaVita teammates volunteered through
Bridge of Life to help screen individuals for chronic illnesses in
remote areas around the world. This year, the program will train
health directors of partner clinics, as well as community health
workers – community members with basic medical training – to
provide ongoing follow-up and preventative health education to
high-risk patients identified.
Two local health directors are leading the disease prevention
program in their respective regions. Dr. Peter Pierrot, health director of Double Harvest
Clinic outside of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti and Dr. Luis
O'Campo, the health director of Susie Syke Clinic in El
Crucero, Nicaragua, received
in-depth training on program administration in Denver this past April.
"We believe this project will further demonstrate that chronic
illnesses can be reduced and controlled when patients have
knowledge about healthy diet and lifestyle, as well as access to
the necessary medication," said Dr. Peter
Pierrot. "I'm looking forward to returning to
Haiti and working to continually
train and educate our community health workers."
Once trained, the community health workers will provide
follow-up care, ongoing prevention education and recommended
treatment plans to patients who are high-risk. Bridge of Life
expects to serve an additional 325 high-risk patients in the
project's first year.
To learn more about Bridge of Life and their global medical
missions, visit BridgeofLifeInternational.org.
About Bridge of Life
Bridge of Life (BOL), an
independent 501(c)(3) public charity founded by DaVita, is an
international nonprofit organization working to improve health,
wellness and vitality. BOL has expanded its efforts beyond
kidney care to include screening and prevention of chronic
illnesses and increased access to primary care services. We
strive to empower local staff, community health workers and
patients through training and education to make sustainable changes
to healthcare. Since 2006, Bridge of Life has impacted over 96,000
lives through 27 international medical missions and 271 domestic
screenings and events in 25 countries with the help of over 900
DaVita teammate volunteers. For more information, please visit
BridgeofLifeInternational.org.
About DaVita Inc.
DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500® company,
is the parent company of DaVita Kidney
Care and DaVita Medical Group. DaVita Kidney Care is a leading provider of
kidney care in the United States,
delivering dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney
failure and end stage renal disease. As of March 31, 2017, DaVita
Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at
2,382 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately
189,400 patients. The company also operated 162 outpatient dialysis
centers located in 11 countries outside the United States. DaVita Medical Group
manages and operates medical groups and affiliated physician
networks in California,
Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New
Mexico, Pennsylvania and
Washington in its pursuit to
deliver excellent-quality health care in a dignified and
compassionate manner. As of December 31,
2016, DaVita Medical Group's teammates, employed clinicians
and affiliated clinicians provided care for approximately 1.7
million patients. For more information, please visit
DaVita.com/about.
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 March 31, 2017,
DaVita Kidney Care operated or
provided administrative services at 2,382 outpatient dialysis
centers located in the United
States serving approximately 189,400 patients. The company
also operated 162 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:
Lindsey Robinson
Lindsey.Robinson@DaVita.com
720-925-3079
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SOURCE DaVita Kidney Care