BIDMC Practices Green Health
BIDMC Practices Green Health
(BIDMC News & Notes)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has been honored with a 2011 "Partner for Change, with Distinction" Award from
Practice Greenhealth, a national membership organization for health care facilities committed to environmentally responsible operations.
The award marks the third consecutive year BIDMC has won recognition from the organization that works to promote environmental achievements in health care sector.
Watch the video below for more information.
The Partner for Change, with Distinction Award recognizes healthcare facilities that have achieved improvements in their waste reduction and pollution prevention programs above the basic criteria for which BIDMC was recognized in 2010. This includes at least 15 percent recycling, a more extensive sustainability program, and a show of leadership in the local community and/or in the health care sector.
"The Environmental Excellence Awards recognize success stories," said Anna Gilmore Hall, executive director of Practice Greenhealth. "Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a successful model of how health facilities can develop and implement pollution prevention programs to greatly improve the health of their patients, staff and community."
BIDMC currently maintains a 24 percent recycling rate that includes a wide variety of materials including: scrap metal, batteries, furniture donation, e-waste programs, oil, wood, cardboard, paper and single stream.
The medical center was also recognized for a clear plan for continued progress, highlighted by an environmental sustainability committee that includes hospital leaders from more than 20 different departments and trustees who continue to be guided by a three-year strategic plan; quarterly reporting; and a full-time sustainability coordinator to implement the work.
Also recognized was BIDMC's effort to continue pushing the boundaries on hazardous chemicals by creating a program to assess and identify substitutes for the toxic chemicals used in medical research facilities.
"We are so pleased to have our accomplishments recognized at a national level," said Walter Armstrong, BIDMC's senior vice president of capital facilities. We are committed to reducing 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."
The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards in eight categories were presented in Phoenix, AZ in conjunction with CleanMed 2011, a global conference for environmental leaders in health care.