Baptist Hospital of Miami Food Service Executive Named 2008 Premier Illuminating Excellence Award Winner

CHARLOTTE, N.C.-- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Stan Hodes, executive chef and operations manager for Baptist Hospital of Miami, an affiliate of Baptist Health South Florida, has been named the winner of the Premier healthcare alliance 2008 Illuminating Excellence Award for his exceptional leadership in the healthcare foodservice field.

The award was presented at Premier’s annual Foodservice Forum, held in conjunction with its 2008 Annual Breakthroughs Conference & Exhibition, which drew more than 3,000 healthcare system and supplier attendees to Nashville, Tenn., June 10-13.

Hodes, who has been with Baptist Hospital for 17 years, was cited “for his commitment to providing Baptist Hospital patients, guests and employees the healthiest, tastiest foods possible, as well as his dedication to environmental responsibility,” said Debby Kasper, RD, LD, manager of clinical nutrition at Premier.

Finalists considered for the award were: Tonya Burnett, St. Rita's Medical Center, Lima, Ohio, part of Catholic Health Partners; Julie Carrigan MS, RD, Garden City Hospital, Garden City, Mich., part of Detroit Medical Center; Marcea Cotter, Carroll Hospital Center, Westminster, Md.; Helene Gruber, St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Edgewood, Ky.; Randy Kirbo, Margaret R. Pardee Memorial Hospital, Hendersonville, N.C.; Marcia Kubas, MS, RD, LDN, Excela Health, Latrobe, Pa.; Paul Melchior, San Diego State University, San Diego, Calif.; Karen Salley, MS, RD, LD, Fairview Lakes Regional Medical Center, Wyoming, Minn., part of Fairview Health Services; Cheryl Shimmin, Kettering Medical Center, Dayton, Ohio, part of Kettering Health Network; Matthew Taylor, Schuyler Hospital, Montour Falls, N.Y., part of the Seagate Alliance.

The Premier Illuminating Excellence Award recognizes accomplishments and improvements in operations, including: patient 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.

Under Hodes’ direction, the food services team at Baptist Hospital serves 9,300 meals daily, with $5.1 million in annual sales. His staff of 181 full time employees is very involved in the department's successes, with their efforts contributing to consistently high patient satisfaction scores.

“We all are working to reduce the cost of healthcare, and my charge is to do that through a healthy diet,” Hodes said.

Baptist Health’s three-year “Transition to Healthier Menus” initiative includes providing lower-fat, lower-salt and whole-grain alternatives to popular menu items; healthier snacks in vending machines; elimination of trans fat cooking oils in its kitchens; only offering foods without artificial trans fat, and employee Wellness Advantage meals for $3 that offer smaller portions, lower sodium and are prepared with locally grown fruits and vegetables (a bottle of Baptist Health’s bottled spring water is included).

Hodes serves with his other Baptist Health food services colleagues on various committees aimed at standardizing and enhancing food services, as well as tending to the environment. Some of the environmental initiatives underway include: discontinuing thawing foods with running water; use of environmentally friendly cleansers; recycling cooking oils and cardboard; reducing use of paper towels; recycling self-contained water instead of using fresh water for pot washer machines; reducing use of plastic soda and water bottles by installing water coolers; purchasing foods and produce locally; transitioning to biodegradable plastic plates and service ware; using more free-range meats; supporting “free trade” minority vendors; using more paperless food supply requisition processes; using biodegradable water bottles and cups; recycling plastic, aluminum and glass containers; and removing fryers from all Baptist Health facilities.

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

Serving more than 2,000 U.S. hospitals and 51,000-plus other healthcare sites, the Premier healthcare alliance and its members are transforming healthcare together. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates one of the leading healthcare purchasing networks and the nation's most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information. A subsidiary operates one of the nation's largest policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups. A world leader in helping healthcare providers deliver dramatic improvements in care, Premier is working with the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.

Premier Inc.

Alven Weil, 704-733-5797

alven_weil@premierinc.com