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Alven Weil
Premier Inc.
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Foodservice directors named 2009 Premier Illuminating Excellence Award winners

Three Premier foodservice directors cited for exceptional leadership

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (June 24, 2009) – The Premier healthcare alliance today announced winners of the 2009 Illuminating Excellence Award, which recognizes accomplishments and improvements in foodservice operations.

2009 Illuminating Excellence Award winners are: Julie Carrigan, director of Food and Nutrition at Garden City Hospital in Garden City, Mich.; Richard Nickless, Supply and Service director at Coastal Center, S.C. Department of Disabilities and Special Needs in Summerville, S.C.; and Dee Philips, director of Dining Services at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C.

"Julie has been an energetic and tireless director since her first day at Garden City Hospital. Although she has done an outstanding job managing Food and Nutrition Services, her creativity and enthusiasm has spilled over into many other areas of the hospital," said Gary Ley, Garden City Hospital president and CEO. "We are pleased to see her outstanding performance recognized by Premier."

The awards were presented at Premier's annual Foodservice Forum, held in conjunction with its 2009 Annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition, which drew more than 2,000 healthcare system and supplier attendees to Anaheim, Calif., June 16-18.

"We honor 2009 Illuminating Excellence Award winners for improving foodservice offerings in their facilities and enhancing the foodservice experience," said Debby Kasper, RD, LD, Premier manager of Clinical Nutrition. "These executives achieved sustained improvements in facility operations including concrete factors such as satisfaction scores and documented budgetary cost savings."

Finalists considered for the award were: Sue Alfrets, Foodservice director at the White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angeles; Tonya Burnett, director of Nutrition Services at St. Rita's Medical Center, Lima, Ohio; Duane Buske, manager of Purchasing at the University of San Diego, San Diego; Charlie Cagle, director of Foodservices at St. Louis Altenheim, St. Louis; Steve Cerullo, Food Service director at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pa.; Lisette Coston, director of Nutrition and Food Services at Saint Francis Health System, Tulsa, Okla.; Helene Gruber, director of Nutrition Services at St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Edgewood, Ky.; Margaret Hodges, director of Food Services at St. Anthony, Minn.; Rona Klein, production manager at Arbor Acres, Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Cheryl Shimmin, director of Nutrition Services at Kettering Medical Center, Dayton, Ohio.

The Premier Illuminating Excellence Award recognizes accomplishments and improvements in operations, including: patient/resident/student satisfaction scores; documented cost savings; activities that support the values and mission of the organization; participation in the Premier alliance; professional and community activities; and personal achievements in the last year.

Additional information about the Illuminating Excellence Award can be found at: www.premierinc.com/about/news/awards/index.jsp.

About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
The Premier healthcare alliance is more than 2,300 U.S. hospitals and 64,000-plus other healthcare sites working together to improve healthcare quality and affordability. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier maintains the nation's most comprehensive repository of clinical, financial and outcomes information and operates a leading healthcare purchasing network. A world leader in helping deliver measurable improvements in care, Premier works with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has offices in San Diego, Philadelphia and Washington. Follow Premier on Twitter.