(May 24, 2010; Henderson, Nev.). All three of the hospitals in the St. Rose Dominican Hospitals system were honored May 12 with a “Partner Recognition Award” by Practice Greenhealth, a national membership organization for health care facilities committed to environmentally responsible operations. The award is one of the organization’s Environmental Excellence Awards given each year to honor outstanding environmental achievements in the health care sector.
“St. Rose Dominican Hospitals has been singled out for their efforts to protect patient health and preserve the environment,” said Bob Jarboe, executive director of Practice Greenhealth. “Their approach to health care demonstrates a keen understanding of the impact our activities have on the environment and a commitment to build on the achievements they have made so far.”
St. Rose started “Go Green” committees at all three hospitals as well as a market-wide Go Green committee to share best practices between the three campuses. St. Rose also has a representative on the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Green Initiative Committee. St. Rose has implemented many new programs including an aggressive corrugated plastic and aluminum recycling program with Republic Services; documents are shredded and recycled through Opportunity Village; dietary departments recycle cooking oil waste, which is then turned into bio-fuel; and batteries are recycled through Batteries Plus.
“Improving environmental performance is essential for the health care sector,” said Rod A. Davis, president/CEO of St. Rose Dominican Hospitals. “If we want a sustainable future, every healthcare facility -more- needs to become involved. Practice Greenhealth created the vision for our industry. For St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, this is just the start of a permanent commitment.”
The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards celebrate the achievements and commitment of health care’s environmental champions. This year’s awards were held in conjunction with CleanMed 2010, a global conference for environmental leaders in health care.
The Partner Recognition award is for healthcare facilities that have begun to work on environmental improvements, achieved some progress, and have less than 10 percent recycling rate for the total waste stream.
