Premier Healthcare Alliance Adds New Suppliers to Program Supporting Growth of Diverse and Small Business Enterprises

SEEDS Supplier Diversity Initiative Increases the Number of Minority-, Women-
and Veteran-Owned Suppliers and Small Businesses Doing Business with Premier
Alliance Hospital Members
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(Business Wire)--
The Premier healthcare alliance today announced that three new hospital supplier
agreements have been launched in its supplier diversity program aimed at
increasing the number of small, diverse and regional enterprises doing business
with members of the Premier alliance.

The SEEDS - Sourcing Education and Enrichment for Diverse and Small Suppliers
-program is designed to ensure participants enter the group purchasing
contracting process ready to succeed. SEEDS provides resources to minority-,
women- and veteran-owned suppliers and small businesses through various business
tools in order to enhance their contractual experience with Premier members.
Likewise, the program introduces additional diverse and small business supplier
options to Premier members.

New contract agreements were launched with:

* NK Medical Products Inc. of Clarence, N.Y., a small-business enterprise and
leader in pediatric care equipment, specializing in room furnishings.
* NEScientific Inc. of Waterbury, Conn., a small-business enterprise which
provides Food and Drug Administration approved reprocessing of single-use and
opened but unused surgical devices. Through NEScientific, providers can expect
to save 50 percent or more on their surgical products while eliminating tons of
environmental waste annually.
* Strong Tool Company, LLC of Cleveland, Ohio, a minority business enterprise
and International Organization for Standardization certified company with a
broad range of initiatives in e-commerce, customer service and inventory
management. Minority business enterprise certification has enabled Strong Tool
to become a supplier to many companies with minority initiatives.

"Through SEEDS, an enhancement to Premier's supplier diversity program,
contracts with diverse and small business suppliers are increasing within the
Premier contract portfolio," said Premier Purchasing Partners President Mike
Alkire. "Whether locally, regionally or nationally, SEEDS support of diverse and
small business enterprises enables healthy business growth by creating
opportunities to work more effectively with members of the Premier healthcare
alliance. In working with Premier, these companies will be in a special position
to improve the health of their local economies with increased revenues and new
potential jobs."

"Premier`s SEEDS program offers training and mentoring to diverse and small
business suppliers to help them grow," said Premier Senior Director of Supplier
Diversity Deborah A. Williams. "We are excited to work with these new diverse
suppliers and provide them with educational strategies on how to do business
with Premier member hospitals through Premier agreements."

About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient

The Premier healthcare alliance is more than 2,100 U.S. hospitals and
58,000-plus other healthcare sites working together to improve healthcare
quality and affordability. 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. Premier has offices in San Diego, Charlotte, N.C.,
Philadelphia and Washington. Follow Premier on Twitter.

Premier Inc.
Alven Weil, 704-733-5797

Copyright Business Wire 2009