This commitment to stewardship is the basis for Providence’s efforts to address environmental stewardship at St. Patrick Hospital. Hospitals are polluting through intense energy consumption, high volumes of waste and use of chemicals of concern in products and processes. St. Patrick Hospital addresses each of these through its award winning program “Green 4 Good.”
The first recycling project at St. Patrick Hospital was in 1992. Since then, many steps have been taken to conserve energy and water, to reduce waste and treat hazardous waste properly and to reduce exposures to chemicals for patients, staff and the community. In addition, the Green 4 Good (G4G) Champions provide educational and fun opportunities each month to increase staff awareness and invite staff to participate. St. Pat’s staff work with the city of Missoula, the City-County Health Department, the University of Montana and Montana State University as well as numerous non-profit organizations in Missoula to provide education and information particularly about health and environmental issues.
Having an optimal healing environment is an important factor to holistic patient care, Angela Miller, RN, notes as she spoke on Nurses for Healthy Environments. Miller continues to then later state how proud she is of G4G and Providence for being open to change and truly taking action to achieve its Mission and exemplify its values.
Providence’s long-term commitment to environmental stewardship is part of how business is done, ensuring the continuation of excellent patient care that is valued with the least environmental impact possible.