Premier healthcare alliance receives national recognition for environmental excellence for seventh consecutive year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gina Pugliese
gina_pugliese@premierinc.com
Safety Institute, Premier Inc.
704.733.5874
More than 80 hospital members of the alliance also honored
Charlotte, N.C. (May 19, 2009) — The Premier healthcare alliance received the “Champion for Change” award from Practice Greenhealth (PGH) in recognition for leadership in advancing environmental best practices in healthcare. This marks the seventh consecutive year that Premier has been awarded this distinction.
The Champion for Change award is given to organizations that have demonstrated success in greening their own organizations and leadership in helping others improve their environmental stewardship. More than 80 Premier hospital alliance members were also honored by PGH across six categories.
Premier wins 2009 Champions for Change award from Practice Green Health (PGH).
From Left: Kellie McNellis, Cathie Gosnell, Judene Bartley and Gina
Pugliese |
Premier was selected for the award for its commitment to a clean environment, evidenced in its GreenHealthy™ program, led by the Premier Safety Institute. GreenHealthy includes Premier’s environmentally preferable purchasing program; an internal corporate-wide Yes to Green program; leadership education and “quick win” case studies on sustainability best practices; and SPHERE (Securing Proven Healthcare Energy Reduction (for the) Ecosystem), a collaborative climate and energy initiative to reduce the healthcare industry’s carbon footprint.
“According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, pollution and other toxins in our environment can lead to neurological, respiratory, developmental and other chronic illnesses that are damaging the overall health of communities,” said Susan DeVore, Premier’s incoming president and CEO. “We are extremely proud of our environmental track record, which has successfully helped hospitals reduce greenhouse gas emissions; recycle floor coverings, lab solvents, and construction waste; purchase organically grown foods; and increase energy efficiency – all while improving the quality of patient care.”
Most recently, Premier launched its energy initiative, SPHERE, to help hospitals reduce their carbon footprint and energy costs with tools, resources and case studies for energy conservation, benchmarking energy consumption, and reverse auction purchasing strategies to purchase energy at a lower cost and include a portion from renewable sources. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, hospitals consume almost 50 billion kilowatt hours and spend almost $3 billion each year on electricity alone. If hospitals improved their energy efficiency by 30 percent, the annual electricity savings would be close to $1 billion, and 11 million fewer tons of carbon dioxide would be emitted – the equivalent of taking 2 million cars off the road.
“Premier and our members recognized early the need to reduce our energy consumption and rely more heavily on sustainable products and resources, and that foresight is paying off,” said Gina Pugliese, vice president, Premier Safety Institute. “Since launching our reverse energy auction program, we have delivered an estimated savings of more than $2.4 million to hospitals and avoided 10,500 tons of CO2 emissions.”
Details about the Premier’s environmental programs are available at www.premierinc.com/safety. Green Corner, one of Premier’s environmental Web resources, showcases hospital and supplier success stories about green initiatives that contribute to a safer, healthier community.
2009 Environmental Excellence Award winners include:
CHAMPION FOR CHANGE
- Premier Inc., Charlotte, NC
ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP CIRCLE
- Allegiance Health, Jackson, MI
- Borgess Medical Center, Kalamazoo, MI
- Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, MI
- Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz, CA
- Legacy Emanuel Hospital, Portland, OR
- Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital, Portland, OR
- Legacy Meridian Park Hospital, Tualatin, OR
- Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center, Gresham, OR
- Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, Vancouver, WA
- Northern Michigan Regional Hospital, Petoskey, MI
- Providence Milwaukie Hospital, Milwaukie, OR
- Providence Portland Medical Center, Portland, OR
- Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Portland, OR
- St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Red Bluff, CA
- St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Stockton, CA
- Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital, Fort Worth, TX
DEHP- FREE
- Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA
MAKING MEDICINE MERCURY-FREE
- Chandler Regional Medical Center, Chandler, AZ
- Elliott Hospital, Manchester, NH
- Fairview Hospital – A Cleveland Clinic Hospital, Cleveland, OH
- Firelands Regional Medical Center, Sandusky, OH
- French Hospital Medical Center, San Luis Obispo, CA
- Hillcrest Hospital, Mayfield Heights, OH
- Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, New London, CT
- Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, Gilbert, AZ
- Mercy Medical Center, Mount Shasta, CA
- Northridge Hospital Medical Center, Northridge, CA
- St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center, Missoula, MT
- Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, Arlington, TX
- Wilmington Hospital, Wilmington, DE
SYSTEM FOR CHANGE
- Catholic Healthcare West, San Francisco, CA
- Cleveland Clinic Health System, Cleveland, OH
- Covenant Health Systems, Lexington, MA
- Legacy Health System, Portland, OR
PARTNER FOR CHANGE
- Chandler Regional Medical Center, Chandler, AZ
- Christiana Hospital, Newark, DE
- Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
- Community Hospital of San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA
- Elliot Hospital, Manchester, NH
- Fairview Hospital – A Cleveland Clinic Hospital, Cleveland, OH
- Great River Medical Center, West Burlington, IA
- Hillcrest Hospital, Mayfield Heights, OH
- Huron Hospital – A Cleveland Clinic Hospital, East Cleveland, OH
- Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA
- Lakewood Hospital, Lakewood, OH
- Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA
- Mercy General Hospital, Sacramento, CA
- Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, Gilbert, AZ
- Montgomery General Hospital, Olney, MD
- Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, CT
- Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI
- Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI
- St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital, Camarillo, CA
- St. John’s Regional Medical Center, Oxnard, CA
- St. John’s Riverside Hospital, Yonkers, NY
- St. Joseph Manor, Brockton, MA
- St. Mary Health Care Center, Worcester, MA
- St. Mary’s Health System, Lewiston, ME
- St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center, Missoula, MT
- Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, Arlington, TX
- Youville Hospital & Rehabilitation Center, Cambridge, MA
PARTNER RECOGNITION
- Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock, AR
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
- Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, Charleston, SC
- Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital, Lexington, VA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
- Euclid Hospital, Euclid, OH
- Evergreen Healthcare, Kirkland, WA
- Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital, Willits, CA
- Franklin Square Hospital Center, Baltimore, MD
- Inova Alexandria Hospital, Alexandria, VA
- Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Fairfax, VA
- Inova Loudoun Hospital, Leesburg, VA
- Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, Alexandria, VA
- Lutheran Hospital, Cleveland, OH
- Maristhill Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Waltham, MA
- Marymount Hospital, Garfield Heights, OH
- Mercy Medical Center, Mount Shasta, CA
- Mercy San Juan Medical Center, Carmichael, CA
- MI Nursing Restorative Center, Lawrence, MA
- Northridge Hospital Medical Center, Northridge, CA
- NYU Hospital Center, New York, NY
- Roper Hospital, Charleston, SC
- South Pointe Hospital, Warrensville Heights, OH
- St. Andre Health Care Facility, Biddeford, ME
- St. Joseph Medical Center, Towson, MD
- St. Mary’s Villa, Moscow, PA
- Youville House Assisted Living Residence, Inc., Cambridge, MA
- Youville Place, Lexington, MA
About Practice Greenhealth
Practice Greenhealth is the result of the merger of two leading organizations – Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) and the Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC) – with a new clean energy and energy efficiency program, Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange (HCEE). For more information on Practice Greenhealth, healthy initiatives, current trends, news and views, and other links to earth-friendly organizations, visit www.practicegreenhealth.org.
About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
The Premier healthcare alliance is more than 2,100 U.S. hospitals and 58,000-plus other healthcare sites working together to improve healthcare quality and affordability. Premier maintains the nation's most comprehensive repository of clinical, financial and outcomes information and operates a leading healthcare purchasing network. A world leader in helping deliver measurable improvements in care, Premier works with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West to improve hospital performance. Premier has offices in San Diego, Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Washington.