For ninth consecutive year, Premier has been honored with the “Champion for Change” award from Practice Greenhealth
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Premier healthcare alliance and 104 of its member hospitals’ environmental excellence efforts have been nationally recognized by Practice Greenhealth (PGH).
For the ninth year in a row, Premier received the "Champion for Change" award for its collaboration with alliance members to promote sustainable healthcare practices. The award recognizes organizations that demonstrate success in greening their organization and have also helped their healthcare facility members improve environmental performance.
PGH is a national membership organization for healthcare facilities committed to environmentally responsible operations. Its annual Environmental Excellence Awards honor outstanding green achievements in the healthcare sector. Premier alliance member hospitals were honored across seven categories.
“We are so proud of our members for their commitment to environmentally responsible healthcare practices,” said Premier President and CEO Susan DeVore. “Our leadership helps set the bar for green business practices nationwide to deliver safer products and reduce waste in the industry. By doing so, we can increase energy efficiency which leads to reduced costs, while we work with our members to improve the health of communities.”
Premier received the award for its commitment to a clean environment, evidenced in its GreenHealthy® environmental leadership program, led by the Premier Safety Institute®.
GreenHealthy includes Premier’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing™ program; an internal corporate-wide Yes to Green program; leadership education and "quick win" case studies on sustainability best practices; and SPHERE® (Securing Proven Healthcare Energy Reduction for the Ecosystem), a collaborative with alliance members and industry partners to have a positive impact on climate change and public health while reducing energy costs.
“The alliance continues to offer resources to members to reduce the negative impact that we have on the environment,” said Gina Pugliese, R.N., M.S., vice president of the Premier Safety Institute. “Our energy program, SPHERE, has helped members avoid 20,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions by purchasing renewable energy and save more than $13.2 million in energy procurement. And Premier’s recently released white paper on energy efficiency highlights Geisinger Health System’s success in saving $6.3 million annually with investments in energy management that lower cost, increase profitability, and reduce the carbon footprint.”
Kellie McNelis, director of Premier’s Environmental Purchasing Program said, “Identification of sustainable supplies is equally important in promoting greener practices. Our members use our electronic product catalog to search for environmentally preferable products every day, leading to healthier, more responsible decisions that can not only improve care quality but also save money.”
Continued Pugliese, “We are also dedicated to greening our organization in-house. With our recent office move, we received LEED certification for our new building. And in 2010, we were able to recycle 348,900 pounds of paper on top of 12.9 tons of computers and electronic equipment.”
Premier advocates on behalf green healthcare policy by addressing safe and less toxic practices, including the need for Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) labeling of products and more oversight of industrial chemicals with increased disclosure and promotion of safer alternatives.
GreenCorner®, one of Premier’s environmental Web resources, showcases hospital and supplier success stories about green initiatives that contribute to a safer, healthier community.
For a list of 2011 Environmental Excellence Award winners visit: www.premierinc.com/greenhealthy.
About Practice Greenhealth
Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading membership and networking organization for institutions in the healthcare community that have made a commitment to sustainable, eco-friendly practices. Members include hospitals, healthcare systems, businesses and other stakeholders engaged in the greening of healthcare to improve the health of patients, staff and the environment. Practice Greenhealth is a source of environmental solutions for the healthcare sector. For more information on Practice Greenhealth, visit www.practicegreenhealth.org.
About the Premier healthcare alliance, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Premier is a performance improvement alliance of more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals and 73,000-plus other healthcare sites using the power of collaboration to lead the transformation to high quality, cost-effective care. Owned by hospitals, health systems and other providers, Premier maintains the nation's most comprehensive repository of clinical, financial and outcomes information and operates a leading healthcare purchasing network. A world leader in helping deliver measurable improvements in care, Premier has worked with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has an office in Washington. http://www.premierinc.com. Stay connected with Premier on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
CONTACT:
Premier healthcare alliance
Amanda Forster, 202-879-8004
Alven Weil, 704-816-5797
KEYWORDS: United States North America California District of Columbia Illinois North Carolina Pennsylvania
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Hospitals Environment Managed Care
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