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For Immediate Release

Oakwood Healthcare, Inc., and the Wayne State University Physician Group Form Joint Venture

OHS/UPG Ventures to support needs of community

Detroit – July 26, 2006 – Oakwood Healthcare, Inc. (OHI), and the Wayne State University Physician Group (WSUPG) have formed a joint venture, called OHS/UPG Ventures (a non-profit corporation) to support the creation of clinical programs that meet the needs of the region and its unique communities, provide easy patient access to quality care and offer an innovative multidisciplinary care model.

Just last month, OHI and Wayne State University announced an affiliation to create programs that support enhanced medical education, research and clinical care. Today's joint venture is the first step in the clinical care scope of the affiliation.

“Wayne State University is extremely supportive of WSUPG's venture with Oakwood,” said Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., M.D., dean of the WSU School of Medicine and senior advisor to the president for medical affairs. “This initiative will build upon our physicians' strong commitment to their primary service base in Detroit and reach out to the broad community with which the University is engaged.”

Through this collaboration, OHS/UPG Ventures will explore opportunities to extend services beyond its members' established service areas. Its first undertaking of what is planned to be a comprehensive collaboration to enrich the health status of the broad community is creating an ambulatory care facility in Troy, Michigan.

While the scope of services to be provided at the 176,000 square foot facility (located on Stephenson Highway at Maple) has yet to be finalized, patient-centered services such as imaging and outpatient procedures are being considered. The business plan will be completed in the fall of this year, with the facility opening in the spring of 2008.

“This joint venture helps facilitate Oakwood's growth and regional expansion initiatives,” said Joe Diederich, chief operating officer of OHI. “Oakwood and our private practice physicians specialize in programs such as cardiology, orthopedics, cancer care and women's health – all of which can benefit patients from across the region.”

Wayne State University physicians practice in more than 100 sites in the tri-county area, many of which will be consolidated in the planned Troy facility, offering comprehensive care and diagnostic services to their patients at a single location.

“The goal of OHS/UPG Ventures is to provide the highest quality and value for the health care dollar through innovation,” said Mentzer, who also serves as chairman of the WSUPG Board of Directors. “It's all about our patients. We expect OHS/UPG Ventures to create programs that will engage our faculty physicians with their community peers, and attract and retain outstanding physicians to serve patients in all of our communities.”

Formation of OHS/UPG Ventures has been approved by Oakwood's Finance Committee, as well as by the WSUPG Board of Directors. Additional approvals for the Troy project will be slated for this fall, following completion of the comprehensive business plan.

Oakwood Healthcare, Inc.

Oakwood Healthcare, Inc., is a comprehensive regional network of hospitals, healthcare centers, skilled nursing centers and related healthcare facilities. Oakwood has a medical staff of more than 1,200 doctors, and provides service to more than 1.2 million people in 35 southeastern Michigan communities. Oakwood's specialty services include women's and children's health (including high-risk obstetrics and neonatal care), geriatrics, emergency care, cancer care, surgery, cardiology and other specialties.  Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center has been recognized as one of the nation's Top 100 cardiovascular hospitals six out of the last seven years. Oakwood is affiliated with the schools of medicine at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan and is a member of the University of Michigan Cancer Center Network. With more than 9,000 associates, Oakwood is the second largest employer in suburban Wayne County.

Wayne State University Physician Group

The Wayne State University Physician Group comprises the faculty physicians at the WSU School of Medicine, the nation's third-largest medical school. Its academic physicians provide world-class medical care while conducting groundbreaking research and teaching the next generation of first-rate doctors. It is a leader in medical research and patient care with emphases on cancer, maternal-child health, neurosciences, and population studies and urban health. Their research and education mission keeps them current on the latest in health care and enhances the quality of care they provide during the nearly one million patient visits they conduct annually.

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