HEALTH CARE WITHOUT HARM PRESS RELEASE

May 20, 1999

Contact:   Laura Burstein, 202-822-5200
           Gary Cohen, Health Care Without Harm: 617-524-6018
           Charlotte Brody, RN, Health Care Without Harm: 703-237-2249

UNIVERSAL HEALTH SERVICES LEADS THE WAY FOR VINYL PHASE-OUT

HEALTH ADVOCATES PRAISE MOVE TOWARD PVC-FREE PATIENT CARE

Universal Health Services, the nation's third largest hospital management company, today announced at its annual shareholder's meeting that it will seek to replace PVC medical supplies with cost effective alternatives.

UHS acknowledges that "polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, a component in various medical products, may result in damage to the environment." UHS plans to investigate the amount of PVC it is currently using and formally ask its suppliers to develop non-PVC alternatives. PVC is used in about 25 percent of plastic medical products, including intravenous (IV) bags and tubing.

The announcement comes in the wake of mounting public pressure to eliminate patients' needless exposure to dangerous chemicals used to make PVC flexible when safe, cost-competitive non-PVC alternatives are available. It follows the recent announcement by Baxter Healthcare, the nation's largest supplier of IV bags, to replace its global line of PVC intravenous bags with a non-PVC alternative. It also follows an announcement by Kaiser Permanente, the nation's largest non profit healthcare system, that it is eliminating PVC gloves, which translates into more than 43 million gloves per year.

Universal Health Services negotiated the Memorandum of Understanding on PVC medical supplies with Citizens Funds, the nation's largest family of socially responsible no load mutual funds, and with Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), an international campaign of 41 hospitals and more than 130 other health and environmental organizations.

In a shareholder resolution filed with the company, Citizens Funds had expressed concerns to UHS about health risks from dioxin air emissions from PVC production and incineration of medical waste containing PVC, and about health risks to patients exposed to toxic chemicals used to soften PVC IV bags, blood bags and tubing. In exchange for signing the MOU, Citizens Funds withdrew its shareholder resolution. UHS, Citizens Funds and HCWH have agreed to work together to encourage the use of viable PVC-alternatives in medical devices.

"Health care providers take an oath to 'first, do no harm,'" said Charlotte Brody, R.N. and Co-Coordinator of HCWH. "We applaud Universal Health Services' decision to make safe PVC-free care a priority for its patients, and urge other health care facilities to follow their example."

Citizens Funds executive vice president and general counsel Joe Keefe said, "As socially responsible investors, we take our role as shareholders seriously.  We entered into a dialogue with Universal Health Services and they were very receptive to the issues we raised about PVC products."  Keefe added, "Corporate responsibility begins with accountability. With this agreement UHS has shown a real commitment to operating a responsible business."

UHS operates 20 acute care hospitals, 25 ambulatory surgery and radiation centers, and 22 behavioral health facilities concentrated in the East and South. The company is already using PVC-free IV bags in its facilities, obtained through BuyPower, a group purchasing organization run by Tenet Healthcare Corporation.

Health Care Without Harm works to transform the health care industry so it is no longer a source of environmental harm by eliminating pollution in health care practices without compromising safety or care.   The campaign has more than 175 member organizations in eight countries, including 41 hospitals, such as Beth Israel Medical Center, New York; New England Medical Center; and the hospitals of Catholic Health Care West. Other members include the American Nurses Association, Oncology Nursing Society, American Public Health Association, Breast Cancer Fund, Endometriosis Association, The General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, and many other health advocacy, environmental and social action organizations.

For more information about Health Care Without Harm or to obtain a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding between Universal Health Services and Citizens Funds , visit our web site at http://www.noharm.org/.

The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League is a member organization of Health Care Without Harm.