Creighton University Medical Center Receives HHS Organ Transplantation Medal of Honor.

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- Tenet California, a region of Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC) announced today that its Omaha, Neb., academic medical center, Creighton University Medical Center, has received the prestigious Medal of Honor from the United States Department of Health and Human Services for establishing best practices and increasing organ donation in Nebraska through the National Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative. CUMC is one of only 180 hospitals in the nation to earn the inaugural Medal of Honor.

"Creighton is a national academic medical center with a tradition of providing quality care for the most complex cases, and has long been recognized for its leadership," said Stephen L. Newman, M.D., chief executive officer of Tenet California. "The decline in organ donations in the United States has reached crisis levels. There are over 88,000 patients waiting for an organ donation, and about 300 patients are added to the waiting list each day. This national award validates Creighton University Medical Center's commitment to increasing organ donation to help fill this critical need."

In 2002, CUMC initiated a program to increase organ harvesting. A liaison from Nebraska Organ Recovery System, the state's organ donation program, was appointed to coordinate organ donations between medical staff departments and potential donor families. Currently, 100 percent of all eligible donors at CUMC are making contributions to the donor program.

"This initiative has been remarkably successful and fully embraced by our medical staff," said Anita Larsen, chief nursing officer at CUMC. "We implemented a cross-disciplinary approach that includes Intensive Care, the Emergency Department, and the Department of Surgery, and integrated them with potential donor families. This resulted in a culture that shifted focus from the occurrence of a fatality, to the potential for a donation and to save a life."

Through Creighton's efforts, organs have been donated nationally and internationally to meet the needs and to extend the lives of others. This year to-date, 19 organs have been donated by families through the program at Creighton University Medical Center.

To receive the Medal of Honor award, hospitals and their area organ procurement organizations must successfully collaborate to convert at least 75 percent of eligible organ donors to actual organ donors. The national average rate for organ donation is 46 percent.

HHS also honored Creighton for maintaining a greater than 75 percent conversion rate from November 2004 to April 2005. CUMC achieved a 100 percent conversion rate for that entire time.

Creighton University Medical Center (CUMC) is one of the region's premier academic medical centers and one of the largest health care providers in Nebraska. The organization includes Saint Joseph Hospital, a 358-bed acute care facility; Creighton University Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Health Professions; and Creighton Family Healthcare, a network of nearly 300 faculty physicians who practice in clinic locations throughout Nebraska. Located at 601 N. 30th Street in Omaha, Neb., CUMC is known for its centers of excellence in trauma, cardiac care, robotic and minimally invasive surgery, neurosurgery, as well as perinatology and neonatology. CUMC is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation's oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. To learn more about Creighton University Medical Center visit http://health.creighton.edu.

Tenet California, a region of Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC), comprises 17 acute care hospitals in California and one in Nebraska with approximately 4,429 beds and numerous related health care services. The region includes USC University Hospital, a renowned academic medical center in Los Angeles, and major urban and community hospitals that serve large and diverse populations in Southern, Northern and Central California.

Tenet California's hospitals are Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, Community Hospital of Los Gatos, Desert Regional Medical Center, Doctors Hospital of Manteca, Doctors Medical Center of Modesto, Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center, Irvine Regional Hospital and Medical Center, John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, Lakewood Regional Medical Center, Los Alamitos Medical Center, Placentia-Linda Hospital, San Dimas Community Hospital, San Ramon Medical Center, Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, Twin Cities Community Hospital and USC University Hospital. The region's sole Nebraska hospital is Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha. Tenet California also includes two specialty hospitals in John Douglas French Center and USC Norris Cancer Hospital. Tenet's hospitals aim to provide the best possible care to every patient who comes through their doors, with a clear focus on quality and service. Tenet can be found on the World Wide Web at www.tenethealth.com.

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