Practice Greenhealth honors hospital with two awards
for achieving environmental goals
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in health care, has recognized Providence Alaska Medical Center (PAMC) for its commitment to sustainability and energy reduction.
The hospital was honored with the Greenhealth Emerald Award, which recognizes the top 20 percent of award applicants and is focused on advanced sustainability programs and exemplary scores in a range of categories; and the Greening the Operating Room Award, presented to facilities that have made substantial progress in reducing the impact of the surgical environment.
The PAMC awards are in two of the categories of Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards given annually to honor health care’s achievements in sustainability. Providence Alaska Medical Center — Alaska’s largest hospital — was the only health care provider in the state to be recognized by Practice Greenhealth.
"Being recognized for our commitment to environmental sustainability is a testament to our dedication to being good stewards of our planet for future generations," said Ella Goss, MSN, RN, chief executive of Providence Alaska. “Making choices that are good for the environment benefits our patients, our caregivers and the communities we serve.”
In addition to the efforts at PAMC, the environmental accomplishments of Providence facilities throughout Alaska include:
- 22,200 pounds of meal prep scraps donated for animal feed
- 877,156 pounds of recycling and diverting from the landfill
- 129 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent reduced through smarter use of our anesthetic gases in operating rooms
- 23,557 pounds of furniture, medical supplies and office supplies donated to local organizations rather than sent to the landfill
The Greenhealth Emerald and Greening the Operating Room awards are among the 55 Environmental Excellent Awards handed out to Providence across 30 of its hospitals in 2024. In addition to Alaska, Providence provides care in six other states – California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. This work is part of a Providence system-wide goal to be carbon-negative by 2030.
Hospitals are recognized for demonstrating a commitment to address sustainability of facility operations and its impacts on 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.
“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 demonstrates the kind of leadership, innovation, and performance that can drive the entire health sector toward more environmentally responsible practices.”
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Providence Alaska Medical Center, a nationally recognized trauma center and Alaska’s only Magnet hospital, 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 Medical Center, visit alaska.providence.org.
Practice Greenhealth is the leading membership and networking organization for sustainable health care, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,700 U.S. hospitals and health systems. For more information, visit practicegreenhealth.org.
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