CHEMISTRY

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE:CSC) today announced that it has signed a seven-year, $200 million information technology (IT) outsourcing contract with Ascension Health, the largest U.S. nonprofit health system. Under the terms of the contract, CSC will manage IT operations for Ascension Health's national offices and the Carondelet Health Network in Tucson, Ariz. The agreement includes applications development and support, help desk services and network, telecommunications, server, mainframe and desktop computing. It also contains provisions allowing other Ascension Health facilities to participate in the contract later, if desired. "We chose CSC as our IT partner for a number of reasons, including their commitment to our associates transitioning to CSC, and their history of helping healthcare organizations achieve real business results through the strategic and efficient application of technology solutions," said Sherry Browne, Ascension Health senior vice president and Chief Information Officer. "We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Ascension Health," said CSC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Van B. Honeycutt. "Our experience in providing a broad spectrum of services and products to the healthcare industry makes CSC an ideal choice to help organizations such as Ascension Health achieve tangible, transformational results from their IT investment." CSC will support Ascension Health's national office locations in St. Louis, Mo.; Arlington, Texas; Detroit, Mich.; and Washington, D.C. CSC will also support Ascension Health's shared services division in Evansville, Ind., which provides mainframe, server, network and applications support to multiple Ascension Health facilities. Approximately 200 Ascension associates have begun transferring to CSC.