CINCINNATI, March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- There is a growing trend in the healthcare industry, hospitals are looking to improve the quality of patient experiences to make them feel as though they are a guest at a hotel instead of a patient at a hospital. Ochsner Health Systems recognized this, and in April 2006, unveiled a new brand identity plan to establish a more emotional connection with patients. This plan included revamping their current uniform program into one that made employees more recognizable as part of the Ochsner team. To capture this vision, Ochsner enlisted the design expertise of Cintas, a leader in designing corporate identity uniforms. Ochsner hospitals approached Cintas to design and provide apparel to all of their 7,000 employees. The leading healthcare facility wanted to do away with labeling uniforms by chains of command. The idea was a change from "me" to "we": All one team, all available to help. "We feel that each of our 7,000 employees represent our brand identity - personal connection and unique care - so we wanted a uniform design that would signify that," said Karen Caraway, Vice President of Marketing for Ochsner Health System. Cintas assigned one of its award-winning designers to Ochsner to develop concepts that matched garments and colors in attractive pairings. The engaging new apparel program stressed differentiation among job functions while still creating a unified image across all hospital employees. Cintas also coordinated a live fashion show at an Ochsner manager and director meeting to build excitement about potential uniform options. "We approached the Ochsner opportunity from a unique angle," said Cintas Director of Marketing Ahmed Said. "We tried to make the Ochsner image more inviting by infusing a bit of fashion and fun into their program, while maintaining the comfort and practicality required by some of the demanding job functions in this industry." The uniform program was lauded as success by both Ochsner and its patients. To celebrate this partnership, Cintas has nominated the Ochsner program for the National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors (NAUMD) Image of the Year Award. The NAUMD Image of the Year competition recognizes outstanding design in the field of corporate uniforms and image apparel for those uniform programs worn within the United States. Ochsner will represent their healthcare work, joining 11 other nominees from Cintas' various hotel, casino, transportation, cruise line and restaurant clients. About Cintas Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types throughout North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom supplies, promotional products, first aid and safety products, fire protection services and document management services for approximately 700,000 businesses. Cintas is a publicly held company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS, and is a Nasdaq-100 company and component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. The Company has achieved 37 consecutive years of growth in sales and earnings, to date. DATASOURCE: Cintas Corporation CONTACT: Tori Rappold, +1-212-614-4201, , or Amanda Ashe, +1-212-614-5257, , both for Cintas Corporation

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