News Release

BAXTER IS NAMED ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO WORK BY COMPUTERWORLD

Baxter Recognized for its Work/Life Initiatives

Deerfield, Ill., May 9, 2002 -- Computerworld, an information technology newspaper, ranked Baxter International Inc. among the top 22 companies on its list of "The 100 Best Places to Work in Information Technology," which hit newsstands this week. Computerworld's ranking is based on criteria that information technology professionals find most compelling, including career development, benefits and work force diversity.

"This year 's Best Places to Work rankings give us a compelling window into the work environments that technology people value most," said Maryfran Johnson, editor in chief of Computerworld. "In our research worldwide, we found that the best employers create workplaces with a commitment to career growth, skills development and work/life balance."

Baxter, ranking 7th in the benefits category, was one of the companies Computerworld profiled in the area of work/life initiatives. The article featured Barry Fulk, a Baxter information technology vendor relationship manager, who has benefited from Baxter's adoption reimbursement policy. Baxter's U.S. benefits policy provides up to $5,000 to help defray adoption-related costs.

"Without Baxter's adoption reimbursement policy, my wife and I would have had to delay our adoption plans until we saved enough money, which might have meant we would not have the wonderful baby girl we have today," said Fulk. Last November, he and his wife adopted a 14-month-old girl from China. Fulk used his paternity leave and vacation time to fly to China with his wife to pick up their daughter, and to spend uninterrupted time together with them as a family upon their arrival home.

Baxter established a department to advance work/life initiatives more than 10 years ago. Since then the company has introduced a number of work/life initiatives and resources, including tools for structuring alternate work arrangements, access to back-up dependent care in certain locations, a resource and referral network and lactation rooms. It recently launched a Work/Life in the Workplace guidebook that describes some of the root causes of work/life conflicts, and offers collaborative solutions, working on the premise that work/life balance is a shared responsibility between employees and managers.

"We are honored to be recognized as an information technology employer of choice," said John Moon, chief information officer for Baxter. "I am proud of the accomplishments of our information technology team and of their focus on attracting, developing and retaining the best talent to drive technological innovation at Baxter and increase global access to health care."

Baxter also recently appeared for the third consecutive year on Business Ethic's magazine's list of "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens," and was recognized with Family Support America's Kathleen McDonald Memorial Work and Family Award. In addition, Baxter was one of four progressive companies featured last year in a PBS documentary on "Balancing Work and Family."

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) is a global health care company that, through its subsidiaries, provides critical therapies for people with life-threatening conditions. Baxter's bioscience, medication delivery and renal products and services are used to treat patients with some of the most challenging medical conditions including cancer, hemophilia, immune deficiencies, infectious diseases, kidney disease, and trauma.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

	Media Contacts: Tanya Tyska, 847-948-3256