Frequently Asked Questions about Practice Greenhealth Awards

What awards can a healthcare facility Partner apply for?

Healthcare facilities may apply for any of the awards listed below given they meet the specific criteria for the award. Click on each award below to learn more about the specific evaluation criteria for each.

Practice Greenhealth Partner Recognition (PR) Making Medicine Mercury Free Award (MMMF) Partners for Change Award (PFC)

What awards can an Organizational Partner apply for?

Organizational Partners are eligible to apply for the Champions for Change Award which recognizes the achievements of Practice Greenhealth partner organizations who have gone beyond their basic business model to assist health care facilities in joining the Practice Greenhealth program and improving environmental performance.

How are the Environmental Leadership Award (ELA) winners chosen?

Environmental Leadership Award winners are chosen by reviewers from among the Partner for Change applicants. Until 2006, there was a separate application for the Environmental Leadership Award (ELA), but now, all facilities who apply for Partner for Change award may also qualify for the ELA.

If you believe your facility is qualified to win the ELA, you should fill out the Partners for Change Award application, making sure to include information in the application that demonstrates that your facility meets the criteria for the Environmental Leadership Award in particular.

• Meet and exceed PFC criteria—the application must be among the best PFC applications received in a given year
• Meet all criteria for the Making Medicine Mercury-Free Award, which are incorporated into the PFC application
• Must have at least a 25% recycling rate
• Meet the ELA criteria for leadership and model programs

Can I apply for more than one award?

Yes. If you are applying for the Partner for Change award, you can ALSO apply for the Making Medicine Mercury-Free award and be considered for the Environmental Leadership award by filling out the new Partner for Change application.

The only time you need to submit multiple applications is if you wish to apply for both a Making Medicine Mercury-Free award AND a Partner Recognition award at the same time.

Can I be considered for an award that I did not apply for?

Yes. All Partners for Change Award applications that meet the ELA criteria will be considered for the Environmental Leadership Award. If you applied for a Partners for Change Award and did not meet all the criteria for that award, the Awards Review Committee will determine if you qualify for Practice Greenhealth Partner Recognition. Lastly, if you apply for a Partners for Change Award and you also meet the criteria for the Making Medicine Mercury-Free Award, the review committee will take note and your facility may be recognized for both accomplishments.

Can I apply for an Practice Greenhealth award if I have not met all of the criteria?

No, you will only receive the award if you have met all of a given award’s eligibility criteria. Each award is designed to recognize health care facilities at a different level of environmental achievement. If you have not met the basic eligibility criteria, consider applying for a different award that better describes your program. Refer to the eligibility criteria for each award to determine which one best fits your facility’s accomplishments to date.

How often can I apply?

The Making Medicine Mercury-Free Award is a one-time award given to healthcare facility Partners that have successfully eliminated mercury from their facilities.

All other awards—Partner Recognition, Partners for Change Award, Environmental Leadership Award, and Champions for Change Award—are given annually. Partners are encouraged to apply every year. Winning an award each year should be part of your Practice Greenhealth program since it can result in positive media coverage and can help you win support and additional resources from your administrators.

Can I apply for a Partner for Change Award as a health system?

Even if you are a small health system, we encourage you to have individual facilities apply for awards separately. If you are a large system, or if your work this year centered on creating integrated programs and standardization across numerous sites, you should consider applying for a Champion for Change Award which celebrates the commitments and programs implemented from a corporate mission perspective.

Can I apply for an award if I have EPA violations?

Ongoing or current enforcement actions may preclude you from receiving an award. Please review Practice Greenhealth’s guidance on Understanding Your Compliance History to help determine whether you have any outstanding or serious violations that might prevent your facility from winning an award. Please contact us if you have questions about compliance issues and eligibility.