BIDMC Receives National Bike Friendly Business Award
Tops mayor’s list for second year running
Date: 9/23/2011
BIDMC Contact: Kelly Lawman
Phone: 617-667-7305
Email: klawman@bidmc.harvard.edu
BOSTON – BIDMC’s bike efforts have garnered some significant attention for the second time in two months. In August the Mayor’s office honored the medical center with Boston’s Most Bike Friendly Business award for the second year in a row, this year sharing top honors with Children’s Hospital Boston. And on September 15, BIDMC was honored nationally with a silver Bicycle Friendly Business award from the League of American Bicyclists.
BIDMC received the award in part for the its bike infrastructure, including numerous cages, racks and services and for sponsorship of the City of Boston’s annual Hub on Wheels event as well as three New Balance Hubway bike share stations.
“Only 139 businesses and institutions from around the United States were named to the League’s 2011 Bike Friendly Business list,” said Bill Burley, Manager, Real Estate and Transportation Programs. BIDMC competes with all businesses including municipal governments and fitness, sports and healthcare companies for this award, so we feel honored to be in the mix and receive this national recognition.”
The League of American Bicyclists has been in existence since 1880 when it was known as the League of American Wheelman. The non-profit organization represents the interests of the nation’s some 57 million cyclists and is committed to advocacy and education to create a more a bicycle-friendly America, including supporting programs that fund bike paths, lanes and infrastructure to expand transportation options and improve safety.
“We’re happy to recognize Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for their investment in bicycling as a vehicle for improved employee health, social responsibility and economic growth,” said League president, Andy Clarke. “Some of the most successful companies in the world are showing that investing in bicycling is not only good for health and sustainability but also the bottom line.”
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and currently ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org.
