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Top Award Honors Best of Health Care Sector Efforts

Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital has been awarded the Practice Greenhealth Environmental Leadership Award.  It is the most prestigious environmental achievement award presented by Practice Greenhealth.

The Environmental Leadership Circle recognizes health care facilities that exemplify environmental excellence and are setting the highest standards for environmental practices in health care. Award winners are chosen by the Practice Greenhealth award review team from top Partner for Change applicants, another major Greenhealth recognition.

To be considered for this award, facilities must meet the criteria for Practice Greenhealth’s mercury-free award, recycle at least 25 percent of their total waste stream while holding regulated medical waste to 8 percent or less, have implemented numerous other innovative pollution prevention programs, and be leaders in their community.

“Only the best of the best receive this high honor,” said Practice Greenhealth Executive Director, Laura Wenger, RN. “The members of the Environmental Leadership Circle represent the future of sustainability in health care, and Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital is no exception.”

Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading health care membership community that works with its members to increase sustainability and environmental stewardship while improving patient safety and care. Blodgett Hospital is now a member of the Environmental Leadership Circle for 2013.

“Blodgett Hospital works as a team to set our environmental goals and strives to not only meet but exceed them,” said Paul Bonis, president, Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital. “We are honored to be recognized for our hard work and leadership.”

The sustainability programs and steps that Blodgett Hospital took to earn this recognition by Practice Greenhealth included:

• The reprocessing of materials saved Spectrum Health approximately $75,000 per year and also reduced waste by 5,000 pounds.
• Focusing on waste reduction in the operating rooms saved $35,000 and reduced 4,275 pounds of waste in 2012.
• A sustainability fund, which provides capital to energy efficiency programs with a return on investment of five years or less, successfully produced an annual savings of $12,833 in 2012. Projects include the installation of motion sensors, lighting upgrades, and an energy and heating commission. All OR lights were replaced with LED to reduce energy consumption and extend the lifespan from 2,000 to 50,000 hours.
• An employee Waste Warrior program launched in 2012 helps to identify waste of supplies and energy. The response was overwhelming, and current initiatives will produce a cost savings of just under $2 million.
• In 2011, Blodgett Hospital installed a green roof which can be viewed in some patient rooms.
• The new addition of Blodgett Hospital is LEED Silver.
• Staff at Blodgett Hospital led the effort to place recycling containers in patient rooms throughout the building.

Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading membership and networking organization for institutions in health care that have made a commitment to sustainable, environmentally friendly practices. To learn more about Practice Greenhealth, visit www.practicegreenhealth.org.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of nine hospitals including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital; 130 ambulatory and service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group and West Michigan Heart, physician groups totaling 751 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with 600,000 members. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with 19,100 employees. The organization provided $204 million in community benefit during its 2012 fiscal year.