Cardinal Health Foundation Grants 37,000 to Rural, Public Hospitals in Support of IHI'S 5 Million Lives Campaign 37 Hospitals Receive Funding To Implement Safety Initiatives

DUBLIN, Ohio, Dec. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- To increase the number of rural and public hospitals participating in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's (IHI) 5 Million Lives Campaign, the Cardinal Health Foundation announced today it is granting 37,000 to 37 hospitals that enroll and report their data to IHI. Hospitals will receive an average of 5,000 each to help deepen their commitment and ability to implement IHI initiatives, aimed at protecting patients from five million incidents of medical harm over two years (December 2006 - December 2008).

Cardinal Health worked with The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) and the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH) to oversee the application process and review grant applications. Both associations will administer the grants.

"The Cardinal Health Foundation has once again made a wonderful contribution to American hospitals in their efforts to improve the quality and safety of the health care they provide," said Joe McCannon, vice president and 5 Million Lives Campaign manager at the IHI. "This funding gives crucial energy and confidence to a new group of public and rural facilities, engaging them more deeply in their urgent work to reduce injury and connecting them to a vibrant network of hundreds - even thousands - of peer facilities across the nation."

"We believe it is vitally important to support health care initiatives and innovation aimed at improving patient safety and quality of care," said Jim Mazzola, vice president of Cardinal Health and the Cardinal Health Foundation. "The 5 Million Lives Campaign is an exemplary program with the noble mission of saving patient lives. We are proud to be one of its leading sponsors."

Hospitals receiving the grants include: Allendale County Hospital, Fairfax, S.C. Ashley County Medical Center, Crossett, Ark. Bridges Medical Center, Ada, Minn. Bucyrus Community Hospital, Bucyrus, Ohio Carilion Giles Memorial Hospital, Pearisburg, Va. Chesterfield General Hospital, Cheraw, S.C. Christian Unity Hospital, Inc., Grafton, N.D. Citizens Medical Center, Colby, Kan. Clinton County Hospital, Albany, Ky. Clinton Memorial Hospital, Saint Johns, Mich. Community Hospital of Anaconda, Anaconda, Mont. Community Memorial Hospital, Hicksville, Ohio Cooper Green Mercy Hospital, Birmingham, Ala. Cooperstown Medical Center, Cooperstown, N.D. East Texas Medical Center, Quitman, Texas Evergreen Medical Center, Evergreen, Ala. First Care Medical Services, Fosston, Minn. Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital, Glasgo, Mont. Hurley Medical Center, Flint, Mich. Litzenberg Memorial County Hospital, Central City, Neb. Medical Center Barbour, Eufaula, Ala. Meeker County Memorial Hospital, Litchfield, Minn. Mercy Hospital, Valley City, N.D. Northwest Florida Community Hospital, Chipley, Fla. Page Memorial Hospital, Luray, Va. Phillips County Hospital, Malta, Mont. Pinckneyville Community Hospital, Pinckneyville, Ill. Public Hospital District for Beaverhead County, Dillon, Mont. Shamokin Area Community Hospital, Coal Township, Pa. South Peninsula Hospital, Homer, Ark. St. Michael's Hospital, Tyndall, S.D. Texas County Memorial Hospital, Houston, Mo. Thayer County Health Services, Hebron, Neb. Tombigbee Healthcare Authority, Dempolis, Ala. Wagner Community Memorial Hospital, Wagner, S.D. Waupon Memorial Hospital, Waupon, Wis. West Holt Memorial Hospital, Atkinson, Neb.

"The NRHA is pleased to be a part of this important partnership with the Cardinal Health Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. We congratulate all 37 hospitals selected for this vital grant program. It is through this program that rural hospitals are in a better position to help save more lives through participation in this successful campaign," said Alan Morgan, chief executive officer of NRHA.

"NAPH congratulates Cardinal Health for providing challenge grants to several of our members to participate in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's 5 Million Lives Campaign," said Larry Gage, president of NAPH. "We are pleased with their support, which will provide invaluable assistance to selected members in their ongoing efforts to improve safety and outcomes for all patients."

Each hospital must identify the interventions it will adopt, submit relevant data to the IHI and share its experiences, ideas and outcomes with other Campaign participants.

Interventions in the '5 Million Lives Campaign' include: -- Prevent Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infection by reliably implementing scientifically proven infection control practices throughout the hospital. -- Reduce harm from high-alert medications starting with a focus on anticoagulants, sedatives, narcotics and insulin. -- Reduce surgical complications by reliably implementing the changes in care recommended by the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP). -- Prevent pressure ulcers by reliably using science-based guidelines for prevention of this serious and common complication. -- Deliver reliable, evidence-based care for congestive heart failure. -- Define and spread new and leveraged processes for hospital boards, so that they can become far more effective in accelerating the improvement of care. -- Deploy rapid response teams at the first sign of patient decline and before a catastrophic cardiac or respiratory event. -- Deliver reliable, evidence-based care for acute myocardial infarction to prevent deaths from heart attack. -- Prevent adverse drug events by reconciling patient medications at every transition point in care. -- Prevent central line infections by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps. -- Prevent surgical site infections by following a series of steps, including reliable, timely administration of correct perioperative antibiotics. -- Prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps. About the Cardinal Health Foundation

Supported by the global resources of Cardinal Health (http://www.cardinalhealth.com/), including more than 40,000 employees around the world, the Cardinal Health Foundation is the focal point of the company's community relations' efforts. The Foundation's mission is to advance and fund regional and national programs that improve access to and delivery of quality health care services. With annual revenues of 7 billion and operations on five continents, Cardinal Health serves the health-care industry with products and services that help hospitals, physician offices and pharmacies reduce costs, improve safety, productivity and profitability, and deliver better care to patients.

Cardinal Health, Inc.

CONTACT: Troy Kirkpatrick, Cardinal Health, Inc., 1-614-757-6225,
troy.kirkpatrick@cardinalhealth.com

Web site: http://www.cardinalhealth.com/