Tenet Saint Louis' Des Peres Hospital announced today the opening of its Upper Extremity Injury Center which acts as a referral source and treatment center for many injuries and chronic conditions of the hand and arm.

A team of experienced, specialized surgeons and clinical staff are on-call around the clock to provide consultation for or direct care to patients with upper extremity injuries.  These surgeons have effectively repaired many njuries to the hand and arm – including severed tendons, damaged nerves, broken bones, and amputations.

"Prompt and experienced care is critical in these types of injuries," said hand and micro-surgeon Dr. Richard Howard with Des Peres Hospital's Upper Extremity Injury Center.  "If appropriate surgical and/or medical care are not provided quickly, the individual can experience a lifelong disability."

By direct dialing into the Center, referring physicians or emergency medical services personnel are put in touch with the team to discuss care options.

Recovery does not end with skilled surgery, because scar tissue and immobilization are particularly detrimental to healing.  Rehabilitation begins with the control of swelling immediately after surgery, and continues through use of comprehensive therapy, promoting  satisfactory results.   The Center's surgeons provide direct oversight of the rehabilitation process, or they act as consultants through its completion.

In fact, the Center has already treated several patients, including a successful thumb reattachment and a wrist trauma due to a saw injury.

Des Peres Hospital is a 167-bed acute care hospital in west St. Louis County headed by Chief Executive Officer Michele Meyer.  .

 "We are pleased to provide this new emergency service to the community," said Meyer.  "The Upper Extremity Injury Center adds another layer to Des Peres Hospital's already strong emergency and orthopedic surgery programs."

Des Peres Hospital is  located at the intersection of interstate 270 and Dougherty Ferry Road.  In addition to its emergency services, Des Peres Hospital provides quality medical and surgical care through a wide variety of services and programs, including heart care, geriatrics, and orthopedics. 

Tenet Saint Louis is a 1,584-licensed bed system of academic and community hospitals and schools of nursing headed by Phillip S. Schaengold, J.D., Tenet corporate vice president, operations and Tenet Saint Louis CEO. Its facilities include Des Peres Hospital, Forest Park Hospital, Saint Louis University Hospital, SouthPointe Hospital and St. Alexius Hospital.

The health system employs approximately 5,500 people and cares for patients from eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and beyond. Tenet Saint Louis is the fourth-largest employer in the city of St. Louis. Current Tenet Saint Louis hospitals combined provided care to more residents of the city of St. Louis who were hospitalized from October 1, 1999 through September 30, 2000 than any other health system.

Tenet Healthcare Corporation, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates 114 acute care hospitals with 27,851beds and numerous related health care services.  Tenet and its subsidiaries employ approximately 115,000 people serving communities in 16 states.  Tenet's name reflects its core business philosophy: the importance of shared values among partners - including employees, physicians, insurers and communities - in providing a full spectrum of health care.  Tenet can be found on the World Wide Web at www.tenethealth.com <http://www.tenethealth.com>.

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Certain statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements.  They are based on management's current expectations and could be affected by numerous factors and are subject to various risks and uncertainties.  Certain of those risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.  Do not rely on any forward-looking statement, as we cannot predict or control many of the factors that ultimately may affect our ability to achieve the results estimated.  We make no promise to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of changes in underlying factors, new information, future events or otherwise.