DaVita offers free screenings for kidney disease in Clovis and Merced

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- DaVita is taking action to make kidney health accessible and attainable for everyone.

The healthcare company is traveling around Central California for their health tour -- the first one since 2019.

On Friday, DaVita's bright pink bus was at the Fresno Flea Market in southeast Fresno.

"Every three Americans, one of them is high risk of kidney failure," explained Ferdie Rios, regional operations director. "One of every seven Americans already has it, but they're not really aware about that."

Communities of color have higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and other conditions that are precursors to kidney disease.

To raise awareness about kidney health, DaVita is offering free health screenings during their health tour.

It includes a blood pressure reading, a glucose test, body measurements to assess for obesity risk and a blood draw. It takes less than 15 minutes, then DaVita staff will review the results with the patient.

"We don't want them to get scared," said Rios. "We want them to have that confidence that when they speak to their physician, at least they already have some awareness that 'Hey, my blood pressure is high.'"

The kidneys are important organs, which is why screening for the disease is important.

When you have kidney disease, the organs can't remove waste effectively from your body or balance your fluids.

"They will have a hard time breathing. They don't have the energy. They don't have the appetite," said Rios. "It's just no quality of life."

The next DaVita Health Tour stop will be at ClovisFest on September 23-24, then in Merced on September 25.

Information about the DaVita Health Tour can be found online.

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