ALAMOSA – DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services in the United States, announced that U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton visited the DaVita Alamosa Dialysis Center on Wednesday, April 19 to meet patients, caregivers and to better understand the kidney care needs of local residents.

Today, there are over 26 million American adults who are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which, untreated, can ultimately progress to kidney failure. Currently, more than 600,000 Americans suffer from end stage renal disease (ESRD) and approximately 430,000 are on dialysis. An overwhelming majority of people with ESRD on dialysis rely on Medicare’s ESRD benefit.

DaVita Kidney Care invited Rep. Tipton to tour the dialysis center, meet patients and teammates and learn more about kidney disease.

“This facility provides a valuable service to those coping with ESRD in our community and I thank the health care team for that. It was a great pleasure to speak with patients, nurses and administrators at the center and hear how crucial access to high-quality care can be,” U.S. Rep. Tipton said.

Congress will consider many important public policy issues which impact kidney care and patients here in Colorado this year. People with complex chronic conditions such as kidney disease should be allowed to receive coordinated care, which would improve outcomes and quality of life.

DaVita Alamosa Dialysis Center serves Alamosa County. For more information, call (719) 589-2022 or visit the center at 612 Del Sol Drive in Alamosa.

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 December 31, 2016, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,350 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 188,000 patients. The company also operated 154 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.

Caption: U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, center, visits the DaVita Alamosa Dialysis Center. Facility Administrator Nathan Cockrell is at left and Regional Operation Director Elisabeth Wright is at right. Courtesy photo