Must read for the week: Environmental sustainability and Healthcare Facilities. Organizations dedicated to patient health should be moving towards sustainability and community improvement.
“We encourage all hospitals and health ministries to actively participate in the Environmental Stewardship Program. We have demonstrated benefits in energy and water efficiency, avoidance of toxic chemicals in cleaning and building materials, access to healthier foods, and improved recycling programs, to list just a few. All Ascension associates should consider stewardship of environmental and financial resources to be part of their daily work.”
Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH, President, Healthcare Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Ascension Health
Learn more about sustainability at Ascension in Journal of Environmental Stewardship Best Practices (PDF)
In 2008, Medxcel Facilities Management and Ascension came together to create their Environmental Stewardship Program with the goal to ensure sustainability across all healthcare facilities. The U.S. Department of Energy challenged the program that year to reduce energy usage by 20 percent by 2020 in its acute care hospital portfolio. The Environmental Stewardship Program proved to be wildly successful and exceed expectations three years ahead of schedule.
In this same time period – 2008 to 2016 – the program also reduced carbon dioxide emission across the same 141 facilities by more than 1 million tons, which is the environmental equivalent of planting more than 25 million trees, according to the EPA.
It’s wonderful to see Healthcare Organizations leading the way for a healthier world.