Baxter Recognized for Commitment to Women's Healthcare Careers

DEERFIELD, Ill., October 8, 2014 /3BL Media/ – Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) has been recognized for its sustainability leadership by several external organizations, including the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s 2014 ACE Award for commitment to advancing women's careers in the healthcare industry and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Record participation in environmental and wellness sustainability programs has sparked additional innovative ideas from employees to help the company achieve its sustainability goals.

Baxter Honored for Commitment to Women's Healthcare Careers
The Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) has named the company’s Baxter Women Leaders (BWL) business resource group as the winner of its 2014 HBA ACE Award. The award recognizes corporations' efforts to strengthen the advancement, commitment and engagement around women’s careers in the healthcare industry. The ACE Award will be presented on November 14 at the 2014 HBA Leadership Conference in Chicago. 

BWL was the first of eight business resource groups established at Baxter to support the company’s inclusive culture by raising multicultural awareness, developing employees to reach their full potential, providing outreach to diverse community partners, and enabling better connections with patients and business partners.

BWL focuses on creating professional growth opportunities for women at all levels and stages in their careers through education, community and networking events, as well as advocating on behalf of women and women’s business issues. The group also provides opportunities for women to develop their skills by taking on leadership roles within BWL itself.

While BWL’s mission focuses on the development and advancement of women, the group welcomes the support of men, and both women and men are encouraged to become BWL advocates. For more information, see http://www.sustainability.baxter.com/employees/global-inclusion-diversity.html.

Baxter Recognized in Various Sustainability Rankings
Baxter is again included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) — one of only 15 companies recognized each year since the Index was created in 1999. The DJSI tracks the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide, enabling investors to integrate sustainability considerations into their portfolios. For more information, see http://www.sustainability-indices.com/.

Baxter was also ranked among the first tier of companies for political disclosure, transparency and accountability in the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) report The 2014 CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Accountability and Disclosure. The fourth annual index reports on the political disclosure policies of the top 200 companies in the S&P 500. Baxter's annual Political Contributions Report provides information about corporate contributions made in the United States by Baxter as well as contributions made by its Political Action Committee, BAXPAC. It also includes information about Baxter's lobbying expenses and membership in trade and industry groups. For more information, see http://www.politicalaccountability.net/ and http://sustainability.baxter.com/public-policy/political-contribution-report.html.

Baxter World Environment Week Reaches Milestone Participation  
A record number of Baxter employees contributed their skills and expertise to benefit their local communities through participation in the company’s sixth annual Baxter World Environment Week.  Held the first week of June to correspond with the United Nations' World Environment Day, the event exemplifies how collective efforts make a positive impact on communities and illustrates the integration of environmental sustainability into Baxter's culture.

Facilities in 29 countries addressed local concerns related to water, energy and food, highlighting the theme “Understanding Our Impact.” Employees’ efforts not only help the recipient organizations in advancing their missions and raising awareness of Baxter’s sustainability goals, but also provide employees with opportunities to grow personally, have meaningful interactions with community members, and develop leadership skills they can apply in all areas of their life, including their careers.

For more information, see http://www.sustainability.baxter.com/community-support/employee-involvement.html.

Employees Raise the Bar on Fitness  
The company's fifth annual BeWell@Baxter Global Exercise Challenge in May also experienced record employee participation, with employees logging more than 12 million minutes of exercise in four weeks, an increase of 13 percent from 2013. Employees are challenged to increase their daily physical activity levels, track their minutes and compete to be celebrated as “Baxter's Biggest Movers.”

Activities included walking and cycling, rock climbing, yoga, swimming, and running, and many facilities offered educational resources and incentives to keep employees focused on their fitness goals.

The Challenge is part of Baxter's overall commitment to the health and safety of its employees, one of the company's nine sustainability priorities. Baxter provides employees with other opportunities to take charge of their health, including the company's Personal Wellness Profile Tool, an online health risk assessment that allows employees to personally and confidentially review their health status and identify areas for improvement. Baxter also offers seasonal flu vaccines, on-site health screenings, a quarterly health and wellness newsletter and celebrates November as Healthy Eating Month at the company. For more information, see http://sustainability.baxter.com/environment-health-safety/health-and-safety/health-and-wellness-management-and-initiatives.html.

About Baxter
Baxter's commitment to sustainability spans more than three decades. The company is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and has been recognized by Corporate Responsibility magazine as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens. Baxter is a member of the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College, the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard School of Public Health, and the Ethics & Compliance Officer Association. The company endorses the Ceres principles and is an Organizational Stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative. Further information about Baxter’s sustainability programs and performance can be found at www.sustainability.baxter.com.

Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide.

# # #