Memphis, Tenn., July 17, 2006 –The American Hospital Association recently rewarded Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women’s quality efforts with a Citation of Merit as part of the AHA’s Quest for Quality prize.

The Baptist Women’s Hospital was one of only three hospitals the AHA recognized for its quality efforts. The Quest for Quality Prize™ is supported by grants from the McKesson Foundation and McKesson Corp. The prize honors organizations that are committed to enhancing quality of care, patient-centeredness, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness and equity as the basis of a comprehensive, quality-oriented health care system and have made progress toward making this vision a reality that other hospitals can emulate.

“This award is a testament to our staff’s high level of commitment, compassion and clinical expertise,” said Anita Vaughn, administrator and CEO of Baptist Women’s Hospital. “We are committed to taking patient safety and quality to a whole new level and have ongoing programs to support those initiatives.”

The McKesson Foundation supports community-based programs and services aimed at improving the health status of at-risk children and adults. The foundation is funded by McKesson Corp., a Fortune 35 organization, which is the world’s largest supply management and health care information technology company. More information about McKesson is available at www.mckesson.com.

“Each hospital recognized today has taken a slightly different path in its efforts to improve quality and patient care,” said Dick Davidson, president of AHA. “But each has successfully created a new culture—one based on trust, understanding and openness. That culture is absolutely essential in the continuous process of change that is necessary to ensuring that care is always the safest and of the highest quality it can possibly be.”

Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, the 2005 Memphis Business Journal’s Best Place to Work winner for large businesses, opened on May 20, 2001. It is the only freestanding women’s hospital in Memphis and one of only a handful of such hospitals in the country. The 140-bed hospital features the Dr. Sam P. Patterson Library, a newborn intensive care unit, a high-risk pregnancy center, the Center for Urinary and Pelvic Disorders, the Women’s Health Center Boutique, the Women’s Health Center and the Baptist Comprehensive Breast Center, a place where women can access local breast cancer experts, services and resources under “one roof.” For more information, please call 901-227-9000 or visit http://womens.baptistonline.org.

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include almost 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks and other providers of care. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit www.aha.org.

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