Newsroom

Hospitals struggle to get green-friendly
San Francisco Chronicle, July 5, 2008
“We are in a really challenging time for hospital construction in this country, in this state and in this city,” said Walter Vernon, a principal with Mazzetti & Associates, a construction consulting and engineering firm based in San Francisco. “Health care organizations are doing their level best to be environmentally responsible as they build these new buildings … but the reality is they have very little ability to do it.”

“Fletcher Allen receives national environmental award”: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080623/NEWS/80623022/1001/NEWS
“Burlington Free Press, June 23, 2008_
Fletcher Allen participates in a number of environmental initiatives including composting, seeking out environmentally-friendly products for use in maintaining and cleaning its facilities and selecting sustainable food choices.

Congrats on ‘green’ NMRH
Petoskey News-Review, June 23, 2008
...the hospital has done things as simple as re-using roofing stones to line gardens, to instituting a systemic program which includes recycling 46 percent of its wastes stream, including paper, plastic, metal, electronics, furniture. Other recycling related procedures include a change to reusable sharps containers and reduction in regulated medical waste by 30 percent…

Hospital receives environmental awards
The Business Ledger, June 23, 2008
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge was awarded with two national environment awards from Practice Greenhealth in recognition of the hospital’s continuing efforts to practice environmentally responsible operations and planning.

Environmental Measures Mean Healthy Returns For Hospitals
Environmental Leader, June 21, 2008
More hospitals are discovering the economic and environmental benefits of greening their operations, Nurse.com reports.

GONE GREEN! WILLIAMSBURG, VA Hospital Honored!
ActiveRain Real Estate Network Blog, June 17, 2008
Sentara received the PARTNER RECOGNITION AWARD last month at Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards in Pittsburgh… The hospital has removed 41 pounds of mercury. The EPA recognized this hospital for its mercury removal efforts. From November 2007 to April 2008 the hospital recycled 65,000 pounds of materials.

Florida Hospitals Go Green
Nurse.com, June 16, 2008
It’s not easy being green,” Kermit the Frog once said. But Florida hospitals are finding that being green not only can be easy, but also can reap cost savings too. Going green efforts range from adjusting daily operations to building new hospitals that are environmentally “healthy.”

Online Auction Designed to Lower Hospitals’ Energy Costs
San Diego Business Journal, June 13, 2008
Hospitals are notorious energy users, running lights all day and night, using high-powered equipment, and keeping operating rooms cool. But energy management initiatives often take a back seat to more pressing medical concerns, such as patient care and equipment needs. A new energy initiative aimed at helping hospitals cut their energy costs between 6 percent and 12 percent is designed to change the status quo.

MedAssets Supply Chain Systems Receives Champion for Change Award for Third Consecutive Year
Business Wire, June 13, 2008
“We recognize the importance of providing environmentally sound services and products to hospitals for use in patient care and facility management. MedAssets will continue to develop resources and create practical tools that enable our customers to improve environmental performance for their communities and to deliver greater value to their patients in meeting their expectations with green programs.”

Hospital wins national award for environmental efforts
The Citizen of Laconia, June 9, 2008
“We do not like to think of ourselves as polluters, but health care generates thousands of tons of waste everyday – by some estimates about 15 pounds per patient per day,” said Michael Green, president and CEO of Concord Hospital. “Concord Hospital has developed policies to reduce our environmental impact and we are continually monitoring our progress to improve our performance. Receiving this award is confirmation that we are on the right track.”

Sentara receives environmental award
Daily Press, June 3, 2008
Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center’s recycling efforts landed the hospital an environmental award. In the first six months, the hospital has recycled about 65,000 pounds of material and removed 41 pounds of mercury from the hospital by replacing more than 170 wall-mounted blood-pressure cuffs.

Nova Medical recognized
Loudoun Times, June 3, 2008
Nova Medical has formed a “Green Team” with specific initiatives that reduce “red bag” - or hazardous - waste by 33 percent, purchasing reusable water bottles, implementing an employee education and reward program, and reducing paper waste and staff driving by using employee Intranet and e-mail.

California system minimizes waste to maximize outcomes
Healthcare Purchasing News, June 2008
In keeping with its commitment to the overall health and well-being of the communities it serves, San Francisco-based Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) recently converted all 42 of its hospital campuses to DEHP- and PVC-free infusion products, ensuring a greater degree of patient and environmental safety in the delivery of hospital care.

Healthy food movement growing in health care
The Gazette, May 30, 2008
Bartels Lutheran’s efforts to buy local foods are profiled in a report released Thursday by Health Care Without Harm, an international coalition working to reduce pollution in health care. The report notes that poor nutrition is a risk factor for four of the six leading causes of death in the United States: heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

Mercy gets award
Beloit Daily News, May 27, 2008
Mercy Walworth Hospital and Medical Center and Mercy Harvard Hospital recently were named recipients of the H2E Partners for Change award from Practice Greenhealth and Hospitals for a Healthy Environment. In addition, Mercy Hospital in Janesville was named to the H2E Environmental Leadership Circle for setting the industry standard for environmental programs and policies. Mercy Health System is mercury-free and has active, ongoing waste reduction and environmental programs that serve as models for hospitals across the nation.

Premier Healthcare Alliance To Address Healthcare Industry Energy Costs, Greenhouse Emissions
Pollution Online, May 26, 2008
The Premier healthcare alliance recently announced a climate and energy collaborative focused on reducing the healthcare industry’s carbon footprint. ...Premier will collaborate with Practice Greenhealth… to lead the first large-scale, healthcare reverse auction for energy.

Amerinet Receives National Award for Environmental Achievement
Business Wire, May 21, 2008
“It’s an honor to be recognized for our efforts in helping healthcare providers identify and create strategies to advance green initiatives in our industry,” said Todd C. Ebert, Amerinet president and CEO. “By helping our members reach their goals, we are making healthcare delivery safer for patients, communities and the environment.”

CHW Receives National Recognition for Healthy Environmental Practices
The Earth Times, May 21, 2008
“Catholic Healthcare West has been a pioneer in challenging hospitals to support healthy environmental practices,” says Lloyd H. Dean, CHW’s President/CEO. “We recognize the vital link between caring for our patients and caring for our planet. We are very proud of our hospitals’ environmental achievements and their continued hard work and dedication to this cause.”

EPA Mid-Atlantic Region Honored with Award for Helping Green Hospitals
U.S. EPA Region 3, May 21, 2008
EPA’s mid-Atlantic region was one of 140 organizations recognized by Practice Greenhealth at a ceremony in Pittsburgh, Pa. today for outstanding contributions to environmentally-responsible health care.

10 Awards for Green Health
CHW Healthcare Blog, May 21, 2008
...10 of our hospitals have been honored with awards from Practice Greenhealth for their commitment to a healthy environment. We’re very proud of the work accomplished at these hospitals. At our core we understand the interconnection between a healthy environment and healthy people.

Perkins+Will Named as a Winner of the Practice Greenhealth 2008 Champion for Change Award
PR Inside, May 20, 2008
Perkins+Will, a global integrated design firm, will be named among the winners of the “Champion for Change Award,” presented today at the 2008 Environmental Excellence award ceremonies. Sponsored by Practice Greenhealth, the “Champion for Change” awards recognize organizations that have successfully greened their own operations while helping others to reduce their impact on the environment.

Study Highlights Benefit of Healthy Buildings
The Daily Green, May 8, 2008
...the financial gains that result from better work are often cited as a major benefit of green building. Now, scientists have taken a closer look at the ability of good design to promote healing, specifically in hospitals.

ONE YEAR Until the New Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Opens in Lawrenceville
PR Newswire, May 10, 2008
The new Children’s Hospital is designed as a “green” campus, meaning that buildings will use key resources such as energy, water, materials and land more efficiently than buildings erected simply to building code.

Gundersen Lutheran Touts Energy-Saving Initiatives
La Crosse Tribune, February 10, 2008
“The hospital follows the Hippocratic Oath, which states first do no harm,” [Nick] Nichols said. “By providing a greener workplace, a more sustainable place of healing, we provide the opportunity for our patients to get better in a healing, environmental place that will not cause more problems than what they’re already going through.”

The Design of Healthy and Sustainable Health-care Environments
Hospital News, February 2008
The design, operations, and maintenance of health-care facilities can be a challenging task. When trying to create healthy and healing environments for those requiring care, as well as workplaces where individuals often perform under stressful conditions, the design principles and choice of materials, equipment and products used within the facility must be carefully considered.

Practice GreenHealth: Setting the future direction of healthcare
Healthcare Design magazine, January 2008
We are launching a new organization that combines and builds upon several successful initiatives that have a track record of success in improving the environmental performance of healthcare. As of January 2008, our sister organization Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) and the Green Guide for Health Care will join forces as Practice GreenHealth, a new nonprofit member-based organization that offers a full range of tools, resources, and strategies for achieving environmental excellence in healthcare.

Suburban Hospitals ‘Greening’ Their Facilities
The Business Ledger, January 14, 2008
Some suburban hospitals have been making strides toward the increasingly important goal of “greening” their facilities as much as possible to become more environmentally friendly. Realizing that such efforts are not only good for their bottom line in that energy savings and pollution reduction equipment and materials can reduce costs, hospital officials in the area know that it’s also a stance that’s increasingly popular to the public.

New Organization to Promote Sustainability in Healthcare
Frankly CSR, January 10, 2008
...H2E is joining two other organizations, the Green Guide for Health Care and the Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange, to deliver a wide range of services intended to create “healthy healthcare environments.” It’s great to see these types of efforts. While hospitals and healthcare systems are widely recognized as being leaders in the area of social responsibility due to their charity care, community outreach, etc., they have not been nearly as progressive in the area of environmental sustainability. The reality is delivering patient care involves a lot of hazardous materials, produces a lot of waste and consumes a lot of energy, all of which can be detrimental to the environment.

Medicine Going Green
Triple Pundit, January 9, 2008
Forget about the toxic lead-lined MRI suites, and do not throw to the wind the outdated CT systems. Squash the frustration for those MRI bulbs that burn out and take far too long to replace. Medical imaging is going “green,” and several new technologies are poised to enhance the medical imaging and healthcare industry.

Hospital to go Green
The Sonoma Index-Tribune, December 20, 2007
Sonoma Valley Hospital officials are hoping to save some green by going green. ...”From the very start, the importance of a green design for the project was recognized and embraced,” said Bob Rice, communications director at the hospital. When the Sonoma Valley Health Care Coalition was developing hospital ideas, the group recommended the hospital board pursue green building.

The MUHC’s Montreal Children’s Hospital Receives Go Green Plus Certificate from BOMA Québec
McGill University Health Centre, November 30, 2007
“Making our hospitals greener is only possible when you have the necessary willingness and support from senior administration, staff and other stakeholders so that an action plan can be set in motion,” added Serge Sévigny, Director of Technical Services at the MUHC.

A Healthier Bottom Line
BusinessMiami, December 2007
“Hospitals are a great setting for examining attitudes about environmental proactivism, because what they do has such a big impact on the environment,” says [Royce] Burnett. “Environmental costs have been estimated to be as much as 17 percent of overhead costs, which traditionally are unanalyzed by management. Managing health care waste helps protect the environment and reduce costs. Not just day-to-day costs on the accounting ledger, but longer-range human costs.”

Building the Green Supply Chain
Supply & Demand Chain Executive, October-November 2007
Kai Abelkis believes that going green doesn’t mean going into the red. As the environmental coordinator at Boulder Community Hospital (BCH) in Boulder, Colo., Abelkis heads a program to find ways to “reduce, reuse and recycle” goods and materials procured by the hospital’s 2,675 employees. These efforts have helped save more than 50,000 trees while eliminating 61,700 pounds of pollutants and 35,000 yards of landfill materials since 1996, according to the hospital’s own records.

Area Hospitals Go Green
phillyBurbs.com, November 12, 2007
What if you could cut the amount of trash you throw away by half, increase by 30 or 50 percent the amount you recycle and stop trash at the source by bringing less into your house in the first place? Now, what if you could multiply the environmental impact of those changes by 1,000 or 2,000 or 3,000? That is the goal of a local green hospitals initiative, which is working with hospitals to cut their trash in half, reduce their toxic waste output and increase the amount they recycle.

Greater Shade of Green
The Naperville Sun, November 5, 2007
People don’t normally visit a hospital unless they have to, but Sherman Health officials are building something at Randall and Big Timber roads they believe will attract visitors from across the globe. The $310 million replacement hospital, slated to open in late 2009, is to be largely heated and cooled by geothermal energy harnessed by an artificial lake, making it a front-runner in the race to develop environmentally sound energy sources.

Hospitals, Health Facilities Slowly Moving Toward Green Building Design
San Diego Business Journal, October 15, 2007
One of the main concerns for hospitals and health care facilities seeking to reach any type of green standard is energy use. Green Guide for Healthcare addresses water concerns by recognizing the role of process equipment; it also addresses persistent bioaccumulative toxins that are found in waste, which LEED does not.

Memorandum: Scope of Hazardous Waste Listing P042 (Epinephrine)
U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste
...This clarification is in response to recent inquiries from some EPA regions, states and the regulated community specifically regarding whether this listing includes epinephrine salts. This is of particular significance because it is our understanding that most if not all of the chemical that is in use in hospitals (e.g., most medical applications) is one of several epinephrine salts. As described in the memo, we have determined that the scope of the P042 listing does not include epinephrine salts.

Cleveland Clinic Creates Office for a Healthy Environment
Cleveland Clinic, October 8, 2007
Cleveland Clinic has established an Office for a Healthy Environment to expand and oversee environmental initiatives throughout its health system. The new office will coordinate environmental friendly initiatives across Cleveland Clinic, encompassing resource conservation, waste management, green building, environmentally preferred purchasing, and toxicity reduction.

U.S. EPA, Green Electronics Council recognize Green Electronics Champions
US EPA Region 9, October 2, 2007
Kaiser Permanente is recognized one of five organizations using EPEAT when purchasing electronic products. “These Green Electronic Champions are putting their environmental values into action—targeting their dollars to help protect the environment, and in turn, greening their bottom line.”

First, Do No Harm
Ode Magazine, October 2007
Many hospitals fail to recognize how their everyday choices, involving everything from food to chemicals to their physical and emotional environments, affect the health of their patients. Until recently, that is. Change is afoot in some of the most unlikely places.

How ‘Fresh’ Is Air Freshener?
TIME, September 24, 2007
A study released last week by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) evaluated 14 air fresheners off the shelf of a local Walgreens and found that 12 contained variable amounts of substances called phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates), a group of chemicals that are used to dissolve and carry fragrances, soften plastics and also as sealants and adhesives. Phthalates are commonly found in a variety of products, including cosmetics, paints, nail polish and children’s toys — and have long been at the center of a larger international controversy over their health effects.

Going Green: Hospital Wins Environmental Award (video)
NBC 5 Dallas/Fort Worth, September 21, 2007
Hospitals face enormous challenges trying to be environmentally friendly, but one Texas hospital is winning awards for Going Green.

Ridgeview Medical Center Implements SUPER Energy Efficiency Program
PR Newswire, September 10, 2007
NewMech Facility Solutions, Inc. has completed a $260,000 energy efficiency agreement for Ridgeview Medical Center, Waconia, MN, utilizing the Sustainable Utility Partnership for Energy Reduction (SUPER) program…The project included energy-saving electrical, mechanical and energy management improvements at the hospital and two clinic locations. Ridgeview and NewMech Facility Solutions jointly developed the SUPER concept and leadership for the project.

MUHC Partners with the City on Sustainable Development Plan
MUHC, August 21, 2007
The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) has partnered with the city on the First Strategic Sustainable Development Plan for the Montreal Community, thus becoming the first healthcare centre to commit to helping bring to life the plan’s guiding principles.

Less than half of Americans fully Satisfied with medical care
HealthNewsDigest.com – Aug 1, 2007
Only 48 percent of Americans age 18 and over who had gone to a doctor or medical clinic within a year of being surveyed rated their health care 9 or 10 on a scale in which 0 was the worst possible care and 10 the best, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ... Only about a third of Asians (31 percent) and American Indians and Alaska Natives (37 percent) rated their care a 9 or 10, compared with less than half of whites (49 percent) and blacks (46 percent). Just 43 percent of Hispanics reported that they were receiving high quality health care. Slightly less than 60 percent of people age 65 and older who have Medicare, with or without additional private or public health insurance, rated their care the highest, compared with 46 percent of privately insured patients and 39 percent of uninsured Americans…

Un video sobre residuos medicos
Salud Sin Danio, the Latin American arm of Health Care Without Harm, has produced a Spanish-language video about medical waste management. High-quality copies can be ordered by mail; contact María Sol Aliano at solaliano@saludsindanio.org.

Laser printers can affect air quality
Australian Broadcasting Corporation – Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Workers face a potential health threat from office laser printers that emit large amounts of tiny particles into the air, an Australian research team has found. Potential effects range from respiratory irritation to effects on the cardiovascular system and cancer, said Prof. Lidia Morawska of the Queensland University of Technology. The researchers do not know the chemical makeup of the particles and how they are released. But they recommend good office ventilation to minimize the chances of particles entering the airways.

NRC Committee to discuss access to radioactive materials
The training and experience criteria required by 10 CFR Part 35 for medical personnel with access to radioactive materials will be the topic of an August 16, 2007, teleconference hosted by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes (ACMUI), according to a July 31, 2007, Federal Register notice. Issues to be discussed at the meeting, which is open to the public, include the preceptor statement and “non-availability of preceptors,” radiation safety officer requirements, and the grandfathering of diplomates who serve on specialty boards but who lack the specialty board certifications currently recognized by NRC.

Ban Asbestos in America Act goes to Senate floor
Business Wire – July 31, 2007
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an organization dedicated to serving as the voice of asbestos victims, today praised the passage of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)’s Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007 by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The bill was unanimously voted out of Committee and will now move to the Senate floor. The Ban Asbestos in America Act is an effort to ban all production and use of asbestos in America, launch public education campaigns to raise awareness about its dangers and expand research and treatment of diseases caused by asbestos.

Nurses, cleaners among occupations at highest risk for new-onset asthma
thelancet.com – July 28, 2007
Nurses and cleaners are among several occupations at the highest relative risk of developing new-onset asthma, according to a study in the Lancet. Nurses were 2.22 times as likely and cleaning workers were 1.71 times as likely to experience new-onset asthma as workers in a reference group of occupations thought not to pose an increased risk… The study also found that exposures to certain substances were associated with an increased risk of new-onset asthma; such substances included latex, cleaning agents, and reactive chemicals such as isocyanates, anhydrides, reactive dyes, glues, and biocides. In addition, individuals who had had an “inhalation accident,” such as breathing in the fumes from two household cleaners mixed together, were at higher risk of new-onset asthma, the study found.

New WHO report tackles children’s environmental health
www.who.int – July 27, 2007
The World Health Organization (WHO) released the first-ever report highlighting children’s special susceptibility to harmful chemical exposures at different periods of their growth. This new volume of the Environmental Health Criteria series, Principles for Evaluating Health Risks in Children Associated with Exposure to Chemicals … highlights the fact that in children, the stage in their development when exposure occurs may be just as important as the magnitude of the exposure…

New HHMM subscribers’ Web site launched
www.ecri.org – July 27, 2007
Healthcare Hazard Management Monitor (HHMM) subscribers now have access to a new Subscribers’ Web site that features a completely redesigned look and feel and even more ways for you to get the latest, most comprehensive environmental management information. The new Web site houses current and archived issues of HHMM and CHEM Weekly News, so you can search current and back issues of these publications.

Petition calls for DEHP labeling
Health Care Without Harm – July 27, 2007
Health organizations are asking the US Food and Drug Administration to label medical devices containing DEHP. The American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, Association of Women’s Health,Obstetric & Neonatal Nurses, Physicians for Social Responsibility, American College of Nurse Midwives and other groups have signed a petition noting that DEHP can leach into patients, posing risks of damage to the male reproductive system. Cost-effective, non-DEHP, non-PVC medical devices are available and are being used by many hospitals, especially in the neonatal intensive care units, where infants may be especially at risk from the materials. More information about the petition to the FDA is at www.noharm.org.

Stericycle reports stellar second quarter
money.cnn.com / wastebusinessjournal.com – July 26, 2007
Medical waste handler Stericycle, Inc. (SRCL) screamed 6.38 higher to 51.59, a record, on almost four times its usual pace of trade. The company reported 36 cents a share in its second quarter, beating views by 3 cents. Revenues of $232.8 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 were up 17.3 percent from the second quarter of 2006. ... Gross profit was $104.5 million, up 19.4% from $87.6 million in the second quarter last year. ... Net income for the second quarter of 2007 was $32.0 million or $0.36 per diluted share compared with net income of $25.2 million or $0.28 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2006. During the quarter, Stericycle completed a 2-for-1 stock split.

Toxic chemicals inside us are a nightmare we can end
Portland Press Herald, Portland, ME – July 23, 2007
Toxic chemicals lurk within innocent people. This isn’t the tagline of a horror movie or summer science fiction. It’s “Body of Evidence,” an analysis by the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine of pollution in the bodies of 13 Mainers who generously consented to publicize the results. The 71 chemicals the study measured don’t come from terrorist poisonings or toxic spills. Much worse. They’re in everyday household products and in our food, air and water. Phthalates in perfume and baby toys: Phthalates are used to soften plastics, including baby toys…

St. Bernardine Medical Center fights mercury, waste
The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, CA – July 23, 2007
... In 2006, St. Bernardine recycled 235 tons of paper, cardboard and plastic, up from 172 tons in 2004. Hospital officials said they hope their efforts prompted the public to think more about recycling. “It is so important to remember that properly recycling all materials helps to promote cleaner landfills and in turn, a cleaner and healthier environment,” said Linda McDonald, vice president of mission services at St. Bernardine. ...

Senate panel OKs child health bill
The Associated Press – July 19, 2007
“There are more kids without health insurance than there are kids in the first and second grades,” said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the committee chairman. “Americans overwhelmingly support getting kids covered.” But the bill faces a threatened presidential veto…

Seattle makes food waste recycling mandatory
Waste Business Journal – July 17, 2007
The Seattle City Council has decreed that recycling of food waste will become mandatory for residents by April 2009. Seattle City Council Member Richard Conlin said food waste is one of the biggest components of garbage coming out of Seattle and going to a landfill in Arlington. According to the US EPA, more than a quarter of America’s food, or about 48 million tons per year, goes to waste in fields, commercial kitchens, manufacturing plants, markets, schools, and restaurants. Currently, less than 3 percent of it is recycled through composting…

Download a .pdf of an H2E teleconference on Food Waste Recycling in Hospitals
The California Integrated Waste Management Board offers this Webpage on Food Scrap Management

Metro cited for ‘green’ efforts
Grand Rapids Business Journal, Grand Rapids, MI – July 9, 2007
... The Health Care Green Building SmartMarket Report featured Metro Health along with the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. The report looked at sustainability and environmentally friendly construction projects in the $23.7 billion health care construction industry. Among its findings: 60 percent of senior administrators think environmental sensitivity will change health care construction and design. ...

Child Health Bill: Key questions and answers to understand the current debate
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance has approved legislation to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which covers six million low-income children today. This brief answers key questions that explain the ongoing policy debate about this public health coverage program, which builds on Medicaid’s coverage of 28 million poor and low-income children.

The smash hit of the 2007 Environmental Excellence Summit was Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital’s terrific video! From explaining green goals to showing recycling and waste reduction efforts, the five-minute, 44-second short was both inspiring and educational. Everyone loved its consciousness-raising celebration of a great Green Team’s achievements. Everyone wanted to share this great training tool with colleagues at their own facilities. And now it’s up on YouTube, ready to be shared with the world! Watch, learn, bounce to the beat, and pass the link on to everyone you know. Congratulations, Harris Methodist!

Minnesota health care facilities win honors
Source Newsletter – 2007, Issue 1
Ridgeview Medical Center, Waconia, received the H2E Environmental Leadership Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of innovation in environmentally responsible health care. ... Hutchinson Area Health Care, Hutchinson, and University of Minnesota Medical Center—Fairview, Minneapolis, received the Making Medicine Mercury-Free Award. “Because of increased hazardous waste regulatory oversight, many hospitals are just beginning to wake up to the environmental and public health impacts of their systems,” said Catherine Zimmer, MnTAP health care specialist. “These award-winners should be considered superstars for being among the leaders in making improvements.”

Virginia DEQ receives national award
Department of Environmental Quality newsletter ... Healthcare facilities volunteer to work with DEQ in a partnership called Virginia Hospitals for a Healthy Environment. Participants pledge to eliminate mercury, and reduce waste and toxic substances. “The Virginia Hospitals for a Healthy Environment has been extremely successful in recruiting partners and raising awareness about the environmental impacts of the healthcare industry,” said Tom Griffin, program coordinator for DEQ. “Now, we are seeing great progress by our partner facilities in reaching the goals of the program.”

A Change in Culture: Harris Methodist saves money by reducing waste
Fort Worth Business Press, Fort Worth, TX – June 25, 2007
Turn off your television, computer and lights when they’re not in use. Replace light bulbs with energy-efficient models. Recycle what you can. Being green is something that sounds easy. But when an entire institution decides to become more environmentally friendly, it takes a lot of planning, a lot of tracking and the effort of all of its employees…

Waste Not, Sort Lots: Hospitals reduce – and even trade in – trash
Portland Tribune, Portland, OR – June 12, 2007
... The trailblazer for the concept is Legacy Health System, which has been sorting its own recycling since doctors and nurses first took the initiative more than 20 years ago. Now, Legacy Sustainability Coordinator Tom Badrick oversees the sorting center…

A Partner for Change
Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID – May 31, 2007
Saint Alphonsus has received a 2007 Partners for Change Award at the Environmental Excellence Summit hosted by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment. The award recognizes facilities that continuously improve and expand upon their mercury elimination, waste reduction and pollution prevention programs…

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare: H2E Partners for Change

Terry McGuire, Senior Vice President of Mission Services for Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, speaks about environmental efforts of the System and the H2E awards won by its facilities.

NMH lauded for reducing Environmental impact
Gaylord Herald Times, MI – May 30, 2007
Northern Michigan Hospital of Petoskey received a 2007 Partners for Change Award at the Environmental Excellence Summit on May 14 in Minneapolis, Minn., hosted by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E)...

Broadlane receives second consecutive national award For environmental achievement
Pollution Online – May 29, 2007
Dallas, TX – Broadlane announced recently that it received a 2007 Champion for Change award at the annual Environmental Excellence Summit hosted by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E)...

Mercy gets environmental honor
Beloit Daily News, WI – May 29, 2007
Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) recently announced Mercy Walworth Hospital and Medical Center, Wisconsin and Mercy Harvard Hospital, Illinois received the 2007 H2E Partners for Change and Making Medicine Mercury-Free Awards…

Mercury falling at PCMH
Greenville Daily Reflector, NC – May 23, 2007
Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, based in New Hampshire, has given Pitt Memorial a Making Medicine Mercury-Free award, PCMH officials announced Tuesday. ...

Healthcare centers find prescription for green business
River Valley Business Report, LaCrosse, WI – May 23, 2007
La Crosse’s two healthcare systems aren’t just some of the region’s biggest employers and taxpayers. They’re also among the biggest energy and resource users. ... Gundersen Lutheran has won two awards from Hospitals for a Health Environment. ...

Affinity honored for green building efforts
Appleton Post Crescent, WI – May 21, 2007
Affinity Health System was inducted into the Environmental Leadership Circle at the Environmental Excellence Summit sponsored by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E). ...

Hospital recognized for reducing mercury
Hutchinson Leader, MN – May 21, 2007
A Making Medicine Mercury-Free Award was presented to Hutchinson Community Hospital public safety officer Karen Ober by Hospitals For A Healthy Environment. ...

Hospital gets environmental awards
Sun-Journal, Lewiston, ME – May 19, 2007
Bridgton Hospital has been recognized by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment as a winner of the 2007 Partners for Change Award and the 2007 …

Ridgeview garners environmental honor
Patriot-General, Waconia, MN – May 18, 2007
Ridgeview Medical Center and 127 other hospitals, health systems and health care organizations were honored at Hospitals for a Healthy Environment’s (H2E) annual meeting for their achievements in reducing waste, in energy conservation, and in improving environmental performance.

Local hospital exec helps Wheaton win recycling award
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, IA – May 12, 2007
Three years ago, Cedar Falls native Randy Vorland of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare went to work to improve waste management practices…

Going green enhances hospitals’ financial health
Puget Sound Business Journal, Seattle, WA – May 11, 2007
It wasn’t long ago that hospitals were anything but healthy when it came to protecting the environment. In 1996, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that medical waste incinerators were the No. 1 producer of the carcinogen dioxin…

Legacy Mount Hood receives environmental leadership award
Gresham Outlook, OR – May 11, 2007
... Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center has been awarded the 2007 H2E Environmental Leadership Award by the national organization Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E). ...

St. E wins honor fifth year in a row
Kentucky Post, KY – May 9, 2007
St. Elizabeth Medical Center announced Tuesday it has won the Partner for Change Award from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment for the fifth straight year. ...