Bridge of Life celebrates year of growth, expands to new countries in 2018 and more

Calling All DaVita Teammates!

Bridge of Life is filling 2018 volunteer positions, and we need YOU! We are in specific need of provider volunteers (MDs, DOs, PAs, NPs). Apply TODAY for an international medical mission or a domestic kids' camp session!

Bridge of Life Celebrates a Year of Growth

Bridge of Life (BOL) ended 2017 with a total of 28 international medical missions and 30 domestic events with the support of 240 DaVita teammate volunteers, impacting over 14,400 lives.

BOL also kicked off new initiatives this past year:

A Community Health Worker Program where our volunteers trained 13 individuals in Haiti and Nicaragua, allowing us to refer patients to local medical staff with our in-country partners and to ensure those patients receive continued follow-up care.
An Electronic Medical Record system, allowing us to go paperless and to enter and maintain patient data more quickly and efficiently.

Coming March 2018 - watch for our 2017 Impact Report for more details!

Missions in 17 Countries Scheduled for 2018

BOL will travel to Mao, Dominican Republic this March to provide approximately 400 patients with basic healthcare services and to Amman, Jordan this April to screen an estimated 1,000 Syrian refugees.

"BOL is eager to bring its Screening and Prevention Program to Jordan for the first time," said Katie Chandler, BOL's Director of Programs. "Our goal is to better understand the prevalence of kidney disease among Syrian refugees so that we can fill the gap between the health needs of this vulnerable population and the healthcare services available."

BOL also has medical missions planned in 15 other countries, including combined primary care and screening events in Haiti, Bolivia and Nicaragua, our annual kidney donor mission in Guatemala and dialysis missions in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Sudan.

To view all upcoming missions, visit the BOL website Calendar (missions are added as dates are confirmed).

DaVita's Pie-in-the-Face Fundraiser Raised Over $4,100 for BOL

The event, hosted by the Matadors Team at DaVita World Headquarters, allowed DaVita teammates to nominate co-workers in director and above positions to receive a pie to the face thrown by DaVita VP of Marketing and Communications, Bill Myers. The three nominees who received the most donations were selected as "winners." Top nominee, Jarrod Pearson, even wore a unicorn costume to the event.

Interested in hosting a fundraiser? Contact [email protected] for more details.

Volunteer Highlight: Matt Daley

Why did you decide to apply as a volunteer for a BOL medical mission?

First, I was interested in connecting more closely with direct patient care. Second, I'm interested in international development - specifically, how to make a lasting, sustainable impact on communities. A BOL medical mission was a great way to gain firsthand experience with that issue and start to learn about what works.

What experience impacted you the most during your time on the mission?

I remember arriving at our first clinic location. We hosted it in a small community, one-room church in a very rural area. By the time we arrived, the church was already teeming with people who, in many cases, had walked long distances in order to visit the makeshift clinic. It was an incredible testament to the value that people place on having access to care provided by BOL.

Would you recommend fellow teammates apply to volunteer and why?

Absolutely! BOL makes a lasting, sustainable difference in the lives of people from underserved communities. But that impact only happens because of individuals who dedicate their time and talents to helping patients, one-by-one, better understand their health and develop basic personal health management competency. It's an enriching experience for a volunteer and a lifechanging experience for the patient.

Matt is a Director of Home Modalities with DaVita and served with BOL in Nicaragua.

BOL Across the DaVita Village

Our Director of Technical Operations, Chris Atwater, works frequently with the staff at DaVita Labs out of DeLand, Florida to submit water samples from our partnering dialysis facilities for quality standards testing. Check out the amazing global Village wall they've designed in their facility featuring photos from our dialysis missions!

Bridge of Life (BOL), an independent 501(c)(3) public charity founded by DaVita, Inc., 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. For more information, please click here .

Bridge of Life | 888-374-8185 | BridgeOfLifeInternational.org

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