April 24, 2006—One hundred ninety hospitals, health systems, and healthcare organizations across the country have been recognized for their outstanding efforts to reduce medical waste, eliminate mercury, and improve environmental performance.
These achievements were recognized by the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) program, a collaborative effort among the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the American Hospital Association, Health Care Without Harm, and the American Nurses Association.
Fourteen organizations received Environmental Leadership Awards, the H2E program’s highest honor: . Affinity Health System, Appleton, WI . Baystate Health, Springfield, MA . Borgess Medical Center, Kalamazoo, MI . Boulder Community Hospital, Boulder, CO . Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, MI (2003, 2004, 2005 winner) . Dominican Hospital CHW, Santa Cruz, CA . Kaiser Permananete Colorado Region, Aurora, CO . Legacy Health System, Portland, OR . Mercy Hospital – Mercy Health System, Janesville, WI . Mills-Peninsula Health Services, Burlingame, CA . Sparrow Health System, Lansing, MI (2005 winner) . St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Stockton, CA . University of Michigan Hospitals & Health Centers, Ann Arbor, MI (2002, 2004, 2005 winner) and . W.A. Foote Health System, Jackson, MI (2005 winner).
An additional 176 health care institutions were recognized for their efforts to improve environmental performance. Achievements this year include a 46 percent recycling rate, saving 2-5 million gallons of water a month by using recycled water for landscaping, and eliminating 5000 pounds of waste by reprocessing single-use devices.
For a complete list of the organizations receiving awards and descriptions of their achievements, visit EPA.
