Local Health Providers Named Greenhealth Partner for Change

Community Hospital of San Bernardino and St. Bernardine Medical Center, members of Dignity Health, were each awarded the 2014 “Partner for Change Award” by Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading health care community committed to environmentally responsible operations and care. Practice Greenhealth’s Partner for Change Awards are very competitive and recognize facilities that have achieved improvements in sustainability and showed leadership in the local community and health care sector. At a minimum, facilities applying for this award must be recycling 15 percent of their total waste, have reduced regulated medical waste, be well on the way to mercury elimination, and have developed other successful pollution prevention programs in many areas. This is the second year that both hospitals received the environmental excellence award. “We take pride in our robust sustainability efforts to protect our environment and improve the health of our patients, staff and community,” said Kimiko Ford, Dignity Health Inland Empire vice president, Support and Clinical Services. Some of the sustainability practices in place at St. Bernardine Medical Center and Community Hospital of San Bernardino include recycling paper, cardboard, aluminum, plastics, batteries, blue wrap and metals; renting reusable, sterilized surgery supplies such as basins, sharps containers and gowns instead of using disposable products; and reprocessing surgical equipment for reuse; and using nontoxic, green certified cleaning supplies. The Community Hospital also holds an annual Earth Day Extravaganza, where volunteers collect e-waste, clothing, books and magazines, eyeglasses and cell phones and send them to the appropriate organization for distribution or processing. “The Partner for Change Awards affirms the work our hospitals’ teams do every day. We are proud to be recognized as a leader in developing and implementing programs that reflect our commitment to environmental stewardship and health,” added Ford. Practice Greenhealth is a national organization of member health care organizations working to increase efficiencies and environment stewardship while improving patient safety and care through tools, best practices and knowledge. The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards were presented June 5 in Cleveland, Ohio, at the CleanMed Conference and Exhibition.