3.27.2006 ET

(CSRwire) SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 2006--For the fourth consecutive year, the Premier Inc. healthcare alliance has been recognized for its national leadership in helping healthcare facilities with their environmental efforts, including waste minimization and the elimination of the use of mercury.

Premier, a national alliance of hospitals and healthcare systems, is the recipient of a 2006 "Champion for Change" Award from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E). Premier, the first hospital group purchasing organization to earn the award (in 2003) now becomes the first GPO to be honored four consecutive years.

H2E is an industry-wide collaborative effort to move the healthcare industry towards environmental sustainability through education of healthcare professionals about waste and toxicity reduction and embracing the use of safer products and healthcare practices. The H2E awards will be presented on April 18 in Seattle in conjunction with the national CleanMed 2006 conference on environmentally responsible healthcare. Premier is a sponsoring partner of CleanMed.

The Champion for Change Award is given to organizations that take a leadership role in improving environmental performance in healthcare. In 2006, Premier joins its members, Catholic Healthcare West and Covenant Health Systems along with 20 other organizations in winning this award. Other Premier members have also earned distinction as honorees for other H2E awards, recognizing efforts in waste reduction, total mercury elimination and less toxic and safer healthcare practices. More than 120 Premier member healthcare organizations are current H2E Partners and have pledged to make changes in their facilities that protect their communities' health and the environment.

"Premier has been one of the leaders in driving the use of healthier and more responsible products and practices," said Laura Brannen, director of the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment program.

"Premier's publicly available resources have also made it easier than ever for healthcare facilities to get the tools to operate in a way that protects the health of patients, workers, communities and our global environment. They are to be commended for their contribution to this visionary work that benefits us all."

H2E recognized Premier for its environmental leadership in supporting the healthcare industry's efforts to reduce or eliminate products and services deemed harmful to the environment. Premier's environmentally preferable purchasing program is led by its Safety Institute in collaboration with group purchasing services.

Another factor in Premier's selection was the ongoing education offered through its Safety Institute, including comprehensive, publicly available Web-based tools and resources available at www.premierinc.com/safety. These include a newly launched Green Link eNewsletter on green purchasing and healthcare practices, CEO Scorecard for environmental assessments and resources on mercury pollution prevention, latex allergies, reuse of single-use devices, DEHP, PVC, green cleaners, pharmaceutical waste, and computer "e-waste." In addition, Premier offers the only publicly available list of mercury-containing pharmaceuticals to help hospitals identify, manage, and dispose of these potentially hazardous drugs.

When it comes to the goal of protecting the environment, Premier practices what it preaches. Premier recently launched a comprehensive Web-based resource to assist healthcare organizations in the environmentally friendly selection, recycling and disposal of computers and electronics. While the tool was designed with medical facilities in mind, Premier's own Corporate Information Technology Services operations team used the site's resources and searchable database and was able to recycle and safely dispose of more than two tons of excess IT equipment.

Environmental health has become a critical issue in American healthcare, as questions have arisen about the long-term effects of certain products containing mercury, phthalates, and other potential hazards identified by the EPA.

"Premier has long recognized the importance of environmental stewardship and joins our members in acknowledging that product choices can impact our health and the environment," said Richard A. Norling, Premier president and CEO. "We continue to provide our members and the public with resources through our Safety Institute to improve the health of the communities we serve by choosing safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products and practices."

About H2E

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment's mission is the transformation of the health care sector to embrace safer building products, clean air, energy and water efficiency, safe working practices, and a commitment to public health demonstrated through waste volume and toxicity reduction. As a non-profit organization jointly founded by the American Hospital Association, the Environmental Protection Agency, Health Care Without Harm, and the American Nurses Association, H2E educates health care professionals about pollution prevention opportunities, rewards the sector's best performers, and provides a wealth of practical tools and resources to facilitate the industry's movement toward environmental sustainability. For more information visit the H2E Web site at www.h2e-online.org.

About Premier Inc.

Premier Inc., helps hospitals accelerate performance on both clinical outcomes and supply chain costs. Premier is a healthcare alliance entirely owned by more than 200 of the nation's leading not-for-profit hospitals and healthcare systems. These organizations operate or are affiliated with nearly 1,500 hospitals and more than 38,500 other healthcare sites. Premier provides an array of resources supporting health services delivery, including clinical and operational comparative data applications for quality/safety performance improvement, group purchasing and supply chain services, and insurance programs. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Premier has offices in Charlotte, NC, Chicago, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.


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