March 25, 2009, Philadelphia, PA – ARAMARK Healthcare, in conjunction with the Institute for Diversity in Health Management, has named four future hospital executives to serve as post-graduate Fellows to promote professional skills development across hospital administration, it was announced today.

Beginning July 6, the following Fellows, from some of the country’s leading healthcare administration graduate programs, will be mentored by executive preceptors at some of the top hospitals in the U.S.

• Virginia Lewis of Brooklyn, NY, a graduate of Columbia University, will be placed at NorthShore University HealthSystem in IL;
• Renuka Sundaresan of Hershey, PA, a graduate of the University of Michigan,  will be placed at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia;
• Rufus Johnson of San Antonio, TX,  a graduate of Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, will be placed at The Methodist Hospital in Houston;
• Maria Terekhov of New Haven, CT, a student at Yale University, will be placed at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

“The goal of the program, from our perspective, is to support the development of healthcare leaders for the future,” said ARAMARK Healthcare Group President John Babiarz. “Our Fellows will explore innovative ways to help hospital executives address their top challenges. Certainly, in this economy, our inaugural group will be focused on cost efficiency and value, as well as clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, market share for our hospital partners and financial performance.”

The four Fellows were identified through a highly competitive national application process based on academic excellence, leadership qualities and commitment to community service. During the year, they will have hands-on learning in the roles of healthcare administrators supported by executives at their host hospital.  They will also work as a cohort toward the goal of submitting publication-worthy research based on how clinical support services impact:

• Clinical Outcomes
• Patient Satisfaction
• Departmental Efficiency
• Market Share
• Financial Performance

“Henry Ford Hospital is pleased to serve as a host site for one of the Fellows because in today’s hospital environment, where there is significant patient choice coupled with the challenging economy, we are happy to explore how clinical support services can improve the competitiveness of our facility,” said Tony Armada, FACHE, President and CEO of Henry Ford Hospital and Health Network. “We plan to use the results to maximize the benefits to our patients through our partnership with ARAMARK Healthcare.”

The Fellowship agenda also includes educational programs on diversity, including access to the American Hospital Association-affiliated Institute resources.

“Our underlying goal in supporting the Fellowship project with ARAMARK Healthcare is to promote diversity at the executive level in hospital environments,” said Fred Hobby, president of the Institute for Diversity in Health Management.” When you have someone of a diverse profile in a “C-Suite” level position, their representation of the community at large helps to minimize the disparity of healthcare delivery because they understand the specific needs of the people who are visiting their hospital.”      

About ARAMARK
ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world.  In FORTUNE magazine's 2009 list of "World's Most Admired Companies," ARAMARK was ranked number one in its industry, consistently ranking since 1998 as one of the top three most admired companies in its industry as evaluated by peers and analysts. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement.  Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 260,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries.

Contacts:
Chris Collum
215-238-3593
collom-chris@aramark.com

Laura Temple
215-238-6841
temple-laura@aramark.com