BUSINESS WIRE-The Premier healthcare alliance has launched its annual search for non-profit community organizations providing commendable and innovative efforts to improve the health of the medically underserved. The Monroe E. Trout Premier Cares Award provides an annual cash prize of up to $70,000 to six winning organizations. During the past 16 years, the Cares Award has presented nearly $3 million in funding to 96 non-profit organizations nationwide.

"The Cares Award underscores the core beliefs of Premier," said Premier President and CEO Richard A. Norling. "Our commitment to improve the health of communities is best represented by organizations that are making a real difference for patients, families and communities. The organizations that apply for this award deserve all the recognition and support we can provide."

The program recognizes winning organizations each year that have established innovative, replicable ways to improve the health of medically underserved communities. Award winners are encouraged to assist colleagues in other organizations to improve their programs. To view award criteria and highlights of past recipients, as well as apply for the Cares Award, please visit www.premierinc.com/caresaward. Premier will announce award winners and finalists during its annual Governance Education Conference in January 2009.

Through Premier's partnership with the Wye River Group on Healthcare, Premier shares best practices from Cares Award finalists at www.leadinghealthycommunities.com. The Cares Award was founded in 1991 by Monroe Trout, M.D., former chief executive of American HealthCare Systems, Inc., one of three organizations that merged to form Premier Inc. Winners are chosen by a panel of healthcare executives based on documented and measurable improvements in the health status of the people served, including defined processes, innovation and the "reproducibility" of the program in other communities.

Serving more than 2,000 U.S. hospitals and nearly 50,000 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 and Medicaid Services to improve hospital performance.