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eq-life and Fairview Pharmacy Services Announce Multi-Year Consulting Contract with Alegent health

Consultancy to Address Circle of Patient Care

Mike Marolt, president of St. Paul-based eq-life, announced today the company's collaboration with Fairview Pharmacy Services to provide pharmacy operations consulting to hospital organizations across the country. The consultancy has signed a multi-year agreement with Omaha-based Alegent Health to grow its retail pharmacy operations.

Alegent Health is the largest not-for-profit, faith-based healthcare system in Nebraska and southwestern Iowa, with nine acute care hospitals, more than 100 sites of service, more than 1,300 physicians and approximately 8,600 employees.

"We are always looking for new ways to improve our patients experiences," said Russ Gronewold, vice president of Ambulatory/Retail Development at Alegent Health. "Our partnership with eq-life and Fairview Pharmacy Services offers us a new approach to pharmacy. By building relationships between pharmacists and doctors, patients will find what the doctor ordered at the pharmacy down the hall."

"We are pleased to partner with Fairview Pharmacy Services to provide Alegent and other clients with opportunities to enhance patient care while improving bottom line pharmacy performance," said Marolt. "The hospital-based retail pharmacy marketplace is at a critical juncture to benefit from the consulting services we provide.

The current process for managing on-campus pharmacies often results in lost opportunities for improved patient care and business growth, says Marolt. Typically, more than 90 percent of prescriptions written on a hospital campus are filled off-site, often at chain pharmacies, preventing patients from receiving personal guidance from a pharmacist within their physicians system.

The unique retail pharmacy approach for health care systems developed by eq-life and Fairview Pharmacy Services evaluates the entire patient experience, including the development of new store layout and designs, better inventory management, improved clinical offerings and improved integration with the physicians and professional caregivers.

Key to creating a differentiated retail pharmacy is offering services that improve patients experiences and assist the clinical staff s ability to manage recovery, adds Marolt. One example is to focus on the needs of patients who are engaged in specialized drug therapy programs, which are estimated to account for nearly 12 percent of the total pharmaceutical market. Other areas of focus might include oncology, home and ambulatory infusion, and medication therapy management.

About Alegent Health
Alegent Health is the largest not-for-profit, faith-based health care system in Nebraska and southwestern Iowa with nine acute care hospitals, more than 100 sites of service, over 1,300 physicians on its medical staff and roughly 8,600 employees. Alegent Health is making health care better with an exceptional commitment to quality and by providing patient focused care for the body, mind and spirit of every person consistent with its faith-based mission. Alegent Health continues the health ministry begun by its sponsors, Catholic Health Initiatives and Immanuel Health Systems, more than a hundred years ago. At Alegent Health, patients and their families find a continuum of care, from women's and children's services, primary care, wellness counseling, and senior care to cardiovascular services, orthopaedics, oncology, physical rehabilitation, home care and behavioral health.

About Fairview Pharmacy Services
Fairview Pharmacy Services, a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services, is a national provider of pharmacy-related services for consumers, insurance companies, corporations, health systems, providers, clinics and pharmaceutical companies. In addition to retail and hospital pharmacies, FPS offer a wide range of service programs designed to optimize health outcomes and manage costs.

About eq-life
eq-life, based in St. Paul, Minn., formerly operated retail stores (in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area) specializing in health and wellness products and services. The company became recognized for its innovative retail expertise in this area. Founder, president and owner Mike Marolt and his management team have evolved the company s strategic direction to a consultancy, working with forward thinking healthcare executives to create the next generation of healthcare retail.

For more information, contact eq-life at info@eq-life.com or 651.556.1700.

Banse Appointed Acting President

ST. PAUL, MINN. Effective April 1, 2008, Kate Banse, Chief Operating Officer of e-life, LLC., will assume the additional role of Acting President. Kate joined the company in the fall of 2006 and has since directed the transition from eq-life owning and operating free standing retail stores to its current business model of developing and/or managing continuum-of-care retail ventures with large hospital systems nationwide. Mike Marolt, founder, CEO of eq-life will be transitioning from the day-to-day operations but will remain a key advisor, owner and board member for eq-life.

For more information, contact eq-life at info@eq-life.com or 651.556.1700.

eq-life Expands Retail Expertise in Health and Wellness Category Continued Commitment to St. Paul and New Growth Strategy

ST. PAUL, MINN. As the innovative retail concept eq-life celebrates its second anniversary, founder and president Mike Marolt announced the company's new direction, joint venture partnership and continued focus on the Grand Avenue store. In line with the company's growth strategy, Marolt also announced the closing of the company's Oak Park Heights location, effective immediately.

We have formed a joint venture with The Enliven Partnership, further expanding our health and wellness focus, also incorporating health management-related technology, and have begun applying our proven retail expertise to hospital campuses throughout the United States," said Marolt. Simultaneously, the company will continue to focus on its flagship Grand Avenue store, responding to local customer trends, evolving product and book assortments and expanding personal care offerings. The store will soon partner with the Cosmetic Care Center, based in Edina, Minn., and will offer expanded skin services including fillers, injectables and medically directed chemical peels. The Cosmetic Care Center's medical director is respected Twin Cities dermatologist Dr. Brian Zelickson.

"We've learned a great deal over the past two years in our varying retail concept stores," said Marolt. "We know it's important to have a location that's easily accessible and one that draws a broad range of consumers. Our Grand Avenue store allows us to learn from consumers right here in our own neighborhood."

This evolution of our concept, expanding to partnerships with hospital campuses, is directly in line with our founding principles of helping people live healthier, more balanced lives," said Marolt. The newly defined eq-life is a business partner to hospitals, an owner and operator of retail businesses on these hospital campuses. Hospitals operate dozens of retail operations, but recognize that retailing is not their primary expertise.

"Simply said, hospitals want to be more customer-friendly and better serve the needs of thousands of individuals who are either receiving acute care treatment, visiting family and friends who are in the hospital or working on-site," said Enliven principal Tim Richardson.

Enter eq-life. "Mike brings more than twenty years of retail expertise from Best Buy and has created a retail concept that speaks directly to the philosophy of hospitals across the country," said Richardson. It's about improving quality of life, from a pharmacy offering vitamins, supplements and desired over-the-counter (OTC) items, to a bookstore, to a series of specialty retail offerings providing continuum of care in areas such as women's health, oncology, heart health and mom and baby. General health and wellness as well as entertainment offerings will be included. "This is about bringing world-class retail thinking and best practices to customer service-oriented hospital partners," said Richardson.

The new joint venture is actively partnering with several large hospital campuses around the country. The first stores will open later this spring at a large Midwestern campus serving 1.5 million people.

"Our journey began two years ago and we continue to evolve and grow. Our brand is right for today's health-conscious consumers who want to be informed and active participants in their individual wellness plans. We are very pleased to be able to grow our presence with respected hospital partners across the country," said Marolt.

Enliven is a Nashville-based consultancy dedicated to making the hospital experience more comfortable and accommodating for patients, visitors and staff, and generating significant new revenue streams for hospitals. The company does this by developing new product placement and marketing programs between leading consumer brands and healthcare providers. Enliven was founded in 2005 by Tim Richardson and Marten Quadland.

eq-life is based in St. Paul, Minn., and provides resources and products on topics specific to health and wellness, integrating technology as it assists the management of consumers'; personal journeys to improved health. St. Paul native Mike Marolt is founder, president and majority owner of the innovative retail concept. The company currently operates one store on Grand Avenue in St. Paul.

For more information, contact eq-life at info@eq-life.com or 651.556.1700.

eq-life Hires ex-Target VP of Retail as New Chief Operating Officer

(St. Paul, MN) Health, wellness and technology retailer eq-life today announced the hiring of retail veteran Kate Banse as Chief Operating Officer. Banse spent 25 years at Target Corporation, starting out on the selling floor then quickly working up through the managerial ranks at the store, district, regional and corporate office levels. She served as a Regional Merchandiser along with Regional Manager of Operations and finished her career at Target as Vice President of Stores.

Immediately prior to joining eq-life, Banse spent the last 10 months at Ashley Furniture, the fastest growing manufacture and retailer of opening price point furniture. There she created an organization structure that allowed for rapid growth while laying the foundation for improved store execution, customer experience and greater brand awareness.

At eq-life, Banse will be responsible for all retail operations and play a leading role in the development and implementation of eq-life';s growing hospital campus strategy.

For more information, contact eq-life at info@eq-life.com or 651.556.1700.

eq-life Hired to Perform Retail Capabilities Study for Alegent Health in Omaha, Nebraska

(St. Paul, MN) Health, wellness and technology retailer eq-life has been hired by Alegent Health in Omaha, NB to assess the hospital operator';s current consumer retail stores and make recommendations for expanding retail operations in the future.

The intense eight-to-twelve week engagement, known as the eq-life Retail Capability Study (RCS), will include traffic counting, extensive interviews, demographic studies, reviews of strategic goals, financial analysis, and operations planning.

The deliverable at the end of the RCS will include eq-life';s recommendations for the most viable consumer retail options available to Alegent, complete with detailed pro formas and summary business plans.

For more information, contact eq-life at info@eq-life.com or 651.556.1700.

eq-life Hired to Perform Retail Capabilities Study for Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

(St. Paul, MN) Health, wellness and technology retailer eq-life has been hired by Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, IA to assess the hospital operator's current consumer retail stores and make recommendations for expanding retail operations in the future.

The deliverable at the end of the RCS will include eq-life';s recommendations for the most viable consumer retail options available to Mercy, complete with detailed pro formas and summary business plans.

For more information, contact eq-life at info@eq-life.com or 651.556.1700.

eq-life Forms Strategic Alliance with Hospital Consultancy Enliven

(St. Paul, MN) Health, wellness and technology retailer eq-life today announced a strategic alliance with Enliven, a Nashville, TN-based consultancy that specializes in brokering relationships between hospitals and major consumer brands.

Enliven's mission is to make the hospital experience more comfortable and accommodating for patients, visitors and staff. The company does this by developing product placement and marketing programs between leading consumer brands and healthcare providers.

Enliven clients include St. Thomas Health Services, with five hospitals in Nashville, TN; Ardent Health Services, with nine hospitals in Tulsa, OK and Albuquerque, NM; SSM-Health Care-St. Louis with eight hospitals in the St. Louis area; and McLaren Health with five hospitals in central Michigan.

For more information, contact eq-life at info@eq-life.com or 651.556.1700.