Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 26, 2005 – Baptist Memorial Health Care reached a $6 million agreement with Johnson Controls to install a wireless distribution infrastructure at five of its largest hospitals and the organization’s corporate office.

The wireless distribution system will provide wireless coverage throughout Baptist’s six locations by means of a single broadband infrastructure. The system, which will be installed in the next 12 months, will support the delivery of voice and data systems – such as personal communications systems/cellular carriers, local area networks, two-way radios, digital paging systems, handheld clinical devices and medical telemetry – throughout each location. Also, the wireless system will eliminate the need for separate, multiple wireless networks and can easily support changes or the addition of future applications.

“This wireless infrastructure will usher us into the next generation of technology,” said David Hogan, chief operating officer and executive vice president for Baptist Memorial Health Care. “This system is more robust than anything else in the market and will prepare us to meet the future needs and demands of our clinical staff and patients.”

The wireless infrastructure will support the integrated electronic clinical information system Baptist is installing at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis, Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto, Baptist Memorial Restorative Care Hospital, Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle.

This multiyear project, which began implementation in July 2005, will move Baptist closer to a paperless environment, with electronic bedside patient charting and documentation and automated delivery systems – all to enhance patient care and quality.

“This wireless infrastructure along with our clinical information system will mark a significant change in the way we provide care at our hospitals,” said Beverly Jordan, vice president of nursing and chief nursing executive at Baptist. “Hospital staff will work from real-time results – with access to patient records, test results and physician orders from any location – which is necessary to keep pace with the rapidly changing needs of patients. With this leading-edge system, we can provide the ideal health care environment for our patients, so they can heal as quickly as possible. That’s what matters most to our staff and our patients’ families.”

Through the wireless system, Baptist can distribute signals throughout each facility, while also containing signals to specific areas – protecting secured information and reducing interference.

“It was important to us to find a centralized system that would allow us to control access and protect patient information,” said Jerry Brantley, Baptist’s chief information officer. “Johnson Controls’ wireless system offers us both the technology and security we need. The system’s capabilities are practically limitless.”

Baptist eventually will provide wireless signals for hospital visitors to access their own personal data systems, such as laptops, personal digital assistants and cellular phones.

Johnson Controls Inc., (NYSE: JCI), is a global market leader in automotive systems and facilities management and control. In the automotive market, it is a major supplier of seating and interior systems and batteries. For nonresidential facilities, Johnson Controls provides control systems and services, including comfort, energy management and security management. Johnson Controls, founded in 1885, has headquarters in Milwaukee. Sales for 2004 totaled $25.4 billion. For more information on Johnson Controls Inc., visit www.johnsoncontrols.com.

One of the largest not-for-profit health care systems in the United States, Baptist Memorial Health Care offers a full continuum of care to communities throughout the Mid-South. The Baptist system, which consistently ranks among the top integrated health care networks in the nation, comprises 15 hospitals; more than 2,800 affiliated physicians; home, hospice and psychiatric care throughout the tri-state area; minor medical centers and clinics; a network of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system highlighted by the Baptist College of Health Sciences. Baptist has more than 2,500 licensed beds systemwide, employs more than 12,000 people and has approximately 88,000 admissions annually. For more information about Baptist, please visit www.baptistonline.org or call (800) 4-BAPTIST.

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