Owens & Minor (NYSE:OMI) announced today it will host its 3rd Annual Healthcare Symposium on Supplier Diversity, bringing together the leaders of small-, women-, and minority-owned businesses, as well as Virginia-based public and private sector leaders, for a two-day discussion on diversity and innovation in healthcare, one of the nation's fastest growing industries. This year's symposium, scheduled for September 9-10, 2008, will bring together representatives from the entire healthcare supply chain for a discussion on how to encourage business innovation that will address the needs of a more diverse society, and also a discussion on how healthcare will likely be delivered in the future.
Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine will address the September 9, 2008, kickoff luncheon, speaking to the conference attendees, as well as community leaders, business leaders, and healthcare industry professionals, about the urgent need for innovation in the healthcare services industry. Virginia Health & Human Resources Secretary Marilyn B. Tavenner, drawing from her wide experience in the public and private sectors of the healthcare industry, will review findings from the 2007 Roadmap for Virginia's Health - A Report of the Governor's Health Reform Commission.
Another key participant in the symposium will be Charles R. Morris, author of The Surgeons: Life & Death in a Top Heart Center. Morris will address the challenges and opportunities of diversity in what is now the nation's largest growth industry. He will also address the ways in which approaches to business diversity must change to solve inefficiencies in the delivery of healthcare. Morris served as the head of New York City's Welfare Department under Mayor John V. Lindsey and in 1973 was Secretary of Health and Human Services for Washington State. He is the author of eleven books and his writings have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly,Business Week, the New York Times Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal.
"The Owens & Minor 2008 Healthcare Symposium on Supplier Diversity highlights the importance of working with small businesses, especially those that are women- and minority-owned, in a fast changing healthcare environment," said G. Gilmer Minor, III, chairman of Owens & Minor. "We know from experience that some of the most innovative, dedicated and dependable suppliers we work with fall into this category. As a national company, Owens & Minor has the opportunity to reach out across the country to tap this huge resource of women- and minority-owned businesses. It's good for healthcare and it's the right thing to do."
The 3rd Annual Healthcare Symposium on Supplier Diversity sponsored jointly by the Healthcare Supplier Diversity Alliance, Owens & Minor, the Virginia Minority Supplier Diversity Council, and the National Association of Health Services Executives, will be held at Owens & Minor's Mechanicsville, Virginia-based Home Office. This year's forum topic is: Forecasting the Healthcare Market for Supplier Diversity. The Healthcare Symposium on Supplier Diversity brings representatives together from the entire healthcare supply chain to encourage innovation and partnerships that address the needs of a more diverse society and healthcare industry.
As one of the most dynamic and innovative sectors of our economy, healthcare is currently one of the nation's fastest growing industries. Healthcare is also one of the country's most diverse industries, ranging from healthcare professionals to the patients the industry serves. Consumer demand for healthcare services is increasing rapidly and experts believe that by 2030, healthcare spending could be 25 - 30% of GDP. At the same time, healthcare providers are faced with balancing escalating need with a tighter reimbursement environment and a rising number of uninsured patients. These conditions create an unprecedented opportunity for healthcare industry companies, such as suppliers, to partner with healthcare providers to provide quality products and services, while helping healthcare providers control the overall cost of healthcare.
Owens & Minor, Inc., (NYSE: OMI) a FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is the leading distributor of national name-brand medical and surgical supplies and a healthcare supply-chain management company. Owens & Minor is also a member of the Russell 2000® Index, which measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe, as well as the S&P SmallCap 600, which includes companies with a market capitalization of $300 million to $2 billion that meet certain financial standards. With a diverse product and service offering and distribution centers throughout the United States, the company serves hospitals, integrated healthcare systems, alternate care locations, group purchasing organizations, the federal government and consumers. Owens & Minor provides technology and consulting programs that improve inventory management and streamline logistics across the entire medical supply chain-from origin of product to patient bedside. For news releases, or for more information about Owens & Minor, visit the company Web site at www.owens-minor.com.