2001 Wyeth-Ayerst HERA AWARD Winners Announced at NMHCC's Disease Management Congress.

Business/Technology Editors & Health/Medical Writers

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 2001

Actress and Women's Health Advocate Lauren Hutton Presents Awards To

Six Companies Who Have Made Strides in Improving Women's and

Children's Health 

The National Managed Health Care Congress (NMHCC) and Wyeth-Ayerst today announced the winners of the Wyeth-Ayerst HERA AWARD, given to organizations and individuals who have made a difference in the lives of women and children by implementing key health programs that result in quantifiable outcomes improvement. Actress and women's health advocate Lauren Hutton presented the awards during the opening plenary session at NMHCC's Sixth Annual Disease Management Congress in the Auditorium at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston today at 8:00 a.m.

Now in its sixth year, the HERA AWARD has brought important recognition to organizations and individuals that have implemented programs or projects in such key areas as pediatric asthma, immunization, AIDS and breast cancer. While diverse, these programs share a common goal: improving and protecting the health and well-being of women and children.

"Wyeth is proud to support the HERA award and with it the good works of the many dedicated people who strive to improve women's and children's health through a wide array of programs," said Dr. Marcia Coleman, Vice President of Global Medical Affairs for Wyeth-Ayerst. "We salute all of the 2001 winners and the many nominees."

The 2001 Wyeth-Ayerst HERA AWARD gold, silver and bronze winners are named from two categories--health plans and providers. This year's winners are:

Health Plans Category:

GOLD - Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Durham, NC, for their active kids initiative.

SILVER - Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Louisville, KY, for increasing prenatal HIV testing rates.

BRONZE - Arizona Physicians IPA Inc, Phoenix, AZ, for their pediatric asthma program. Honorable Mention - M.D. Individual Practice Association and Optimum Choice Inc, Rockville, MD, for improving the rate of adolescent immunizations for Hepatitis B.

Providers Category:

GOLD - Bay Pines VA Medical Center, Bay Pines, FL, for its Sexual Trauma Day treatment program, which included mental health services for victims of sexual trauma.

SILVER - Geisinger Health Systems, Danville, PA, for increasing Osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment and reducing the fracture rate.

BRONZE - York Hospital, York, PA, for enhancing comfort and pain relief during labor by studying patients' satisfaction in labor and delivery. Following the awards presentation, more information on the winners and their programs will be available at the Wyeth-Ayerst booth #503.

About Wyeth-Ayerst

Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, a division of American Home Products Corporation (NYSE: AHP), is a major research-oriented pharmaceutical company with leading products in the areas of women's health care, cardiovascular disease therapies, central nervous system drugs, anti-inflammatory agents, infectious disease, hemophilia, oncology, vaccines and generic pharmaceuticals. American Home Products is one of the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications. It is also a leader in vaccines, biotechnology, and animal health care.

About the Sixth Annual Disease Management Congress

The Disease Management Congress and Exposition is the nation's leading forum dedicated to providing a comprehensive examination of the latest disease management initiatives and programs. The event is focused on harnessing the latest tools and technologies to measure and prove successful outcomes, as well as strategies to improve patient quality of care while managing costs. The congress will feature programs for chronic disease states including oncology, behavioral health, pain management, cardiovascular, asthma and diabetes. In addition, a series of comprehensive workshops and symposia are offered. Delegates can evaluate the latest disease management products and services at the Exposition, which features more than 80 exhibiting companies. The Disease Management Congress takes place October 22-24 at the Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA.

About NMHCC

The National Managed Health Care Congress (NMHCC) is the leading provider of strategic business and advanced clinical information and education for the health care industry, producing cutting-edge conferences and expositions that address the full range of critical issues facing the industry today. The company's mission is to increase the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care delivery through the identification and presentation of case studies and best practices in managing health care and to provide the best opportunity for decision makers (purchasers, payors, providers and suppliers) to assess the latest products, programs and services from the leading companies serving the health care market. Additional information about NMHCC can be found at www.nmhcc.org or by calling [phone].