Practice Greenhealth honors hospitals in Anchorage, Kodiak Island for commitment to environmental improvements
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in health care, has recognized Providence Alaska Medical Center and Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center for exemplary environmental stewardship.
Both hospitals received the Partner Recognition Award, which recognizes facilities that have a commitment to environmental improvements and have achieved progress in several areas of the organization.
“Our focus on being better stewards of the environment has resulted in many success stories,” said Ella Goss, MSN, RN, chief executive of Providence Alaska. “For example, we have partnered with a local organization to repurpose wrap that is used to sterilize equipment, and most of our kitchen waste is used in compost rather than sent to the landfill. Our caregivers are committed to reducing our carbon footprint.”
This work is part of a Providence systemwide goal to be carbon-negative by 2030. Practice Greenhealth recognized 29 Providence and affiliated ministries for their environmental stewardship, including health care facilities in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, California, Texas, and New Mexico.
This is the fourth consecutive year Providence Alaska Medical Center has been recognized. In 2022, the hospital earned the Greenhealth Partner for Change and in previous years has been recognized with the Environmental Excellence Award and Greening the Operating Room Award, the latter of which honors facilities that have made substantial progress in reducing the impact of the surgical environment.
This is the second consecutive year Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center has been recognized with the Partner Recognition Award.
“In a shifting health care landscape, a focus on sustainability can help build resilience while better protecting the health of patients and the community,” said Gary Cohen, Practice Greenhealth founder. “Providence Alaska Medical Center and Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center both demonstrate the kind of leadership, innovation, and performance that can drive the entire health sector toward more environmentally responsible practices.”
Practice Greenhealth recognizes hospitals for demonstrating a commitment to address sustainability of facility operations and how that work impacts the environment. Strategies to address sustainability include minimizing and recycling waste, addressing chemicals of concern, lowering energy and water consumption, sourcing food and products sustainably and establishing environmentally preferable purchasing criteria.
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Providence Alaska is part of Providence, a not-for-profit network of hospitals, care centers, health plans, physicians, clinics, home health services, affiliated services and educational facilities. For more information about Providence Alaska, visit providence.org/about/alaska.
Practice Greenhealth is the leading membership and networking organization for sustainable health care, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,100 United States hospitals and health systems. For more information, visit practicegreenhealth.org/.
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