5.07.2007 - 12:45pm ET

(CSRwire) SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2007--The Premier healthcare alliance today received the "Champions for Change" award from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) for the fifth consecutive year in recognition of national leadership in helping healthcare organizations advance environmental sustainability to lower costs, promote quality and preserve the communities they serve.

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment - a collaborative healthcare industry effort to promote environmental sustainability - will present the award to Premier at its annual Environmental Excellence Awards program in Minneapolis, MN, on May 14. Premier, the first hospital group purchasing organization to earn the prestigious award, now becomes the first to receive the honor five years in a row.

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

Central to its receipt of the Champions for Change award were Premier's extensive efforts to help hospitals address critical environmental health issues by reducing or eliminating environmentally harmful products and processes, such as those related to toxic waste and mercury use. These environmental and public health issues pose a growing industry concern, as questions continue to surface about the
long-term effects of products containing mercury, phthalates and other hazardous substances identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"Premier is one of the foremost leaders in driving the use of environmentally healthier, more responsible products and practices in the healthcare industry," said Laura Brannen, director of the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment program. "Premier's publicly available resources also have made it easier than ever for healthcare facilities to get the tools they need to operate in a way that protects and preserves the health of patients, workers and the environment. We commend their pioneering contributions to environmental sustainability that will benefit our quality of life for generations to come."

Another key award selection factor was the Premier Safety Institute's suite of educational offerings - both for Premier member healthcare institutions, as well as the greater industry. Located on the Web at www.premierinc.com/safety, the Safety Institute provides Web-based tools and resources for establishing "green" - or
environmentally sound - programs and practices. Green Corner, another Premier Web resource, showcases hospital and supplier success stories about "green" initiatives that contribute to a safer, healthier community.

And Premier's efforts to protect the environment don't end with its support to healthcare organizations. Premier's corporate information technology team used the same "green" Web-based tools and resources it provides healthcare institutions to help Premier recycle and safely dispose of more than 5 tons of excess IT equipment over the past two years.

In addition to Premier, more than 137 Premier member healthcare organizations are current H2E Partners, and have pledged to make changes in their facilities that will protect the health of the environment and the communities they serve. Premier joins Catholic Healthcare West and Covenant Health Systems along with 20 other organizations in receiving the Champions for Change award this year.

The Champion for Change Award is given to organizations that take a leadership role in improving environmental performance in healthcare. 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.

About H2E

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment's mission is the transformation of the healthcare 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. H2E educates healthcare 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 http://www.h2e-online.org.

About Premier, 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient

Serving 1,700 hospitals and more than 45,000 other healthcare sites, Premier Inc. is the largest healthcare alliance in the United States dedicated to improving patient outcomes while safely reducing the cost of care. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates the nation's largest healthcare purchasing network, the most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information and one of the largest policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups in healthcare. Premier's Safety Institute provides publicly available safety resources and tools to promote a safe healthcare delivery environment for patients, workers, and the environment. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has
offices in Charlotte, N.C. and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.



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