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COLUMBUS—As the nation celebrates Earth Day this Friday, April 22, the Ohio Hospital Association is celebrating its newest honor as a Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) Champion for Change Award winner, along with four Ohio hospitals also receiving H2E honors. H2E presented the awards April 12 at the H2E Awards Breakfast and Workshop in Chicago.
OHA is the only state hospital association to receive an H2E award this year, and one of only a handful that have been recognized since H2E was formed in the late 1990s. The Champion for Change Award is given to champion organizations that are leading the way in improving environmental performance in the health care sector, and that are providing support to hospitals working toward the goals of H2E.
H2E is honoring OHA for its statewide leadership through the Pollution Prevention University, which teaches hospitals how to reduce waste streams, reuse and recycle, and properly dispose of hazardous wastes; and the Mercury Challenge Program to eliminate mercury.
Four Ohio hospitals were also recognized by H2E for excellence in reducing waste, preventing pollution, and eliminating mercury. Fisher-Titus Medical Center, Norwalk; St. Charles Mercy Hospital, Oregon; and St. Luke’s Hospital, Maumee; all received a Making Medicine Mercury Free Award, a one-time award given to facilities that have met the challenge of becoming virtually "mercury free." Fisher-Titus Medical Center and St. Charles Mercy Hospital, along with Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, also received a Partners for Change Award, given annually to facilities that have made significant progress toward reducing waste, preventing pollution, and eliminating mercury.
“OHA is proud to lead Ohio’s hospitals’ ongoing quest to control pollution in Ohio,” said James R. Castle, president and CEO of OHA. “Our hospitals’ dedication to reducing their impact on the environment creates a safer and healthier place to live for patients, staff and entire communities.”
OHA’s pollution prevention efforts are overseen by the OHA Environmental Leadership Council, chaired by Melvin Creeley, president of East Liverpool City Hospital. The council was created in October 2001 to provide leadership, support and technical resources to assist Ohio hospitals in their efforts to reduce waste and prevent pollution on Earth Day and every day. More information about Ohio hospitals and OHA’s efforts to protect the environment is available at www.ohanet.org/p2/.
H2E is a joint program of the American Hospital Association, the Environmental Protection Agency, Health Care Without Harm and American Nurses Association working to eliminate the use of mercury in health care, cut health care waste in half and reduce the use and production of hazardous substances. More information about H2E and a complete list of award winners are online at www.h2e-online.org.
Earth Day has been celebrated since 1970 to encourage individuals, communities and businesses to engage in Earth-friendly activities that protect the environment. Hospitals are continually embracing that ideal by creating waste reduction programs, recycling initiatives and innovative plans to keep the planet safe and clean for this and future generations.
The Ohio Hospital Association was established in 1915 and currently represents 170 hospitals and 40 health systems throughout Ohio. OHA is a membership-driven organization that provides proactive leadership to create an environment in which Ohio hospitals are successful in serving their communities. Visit OHA’s Web site at www.ohanet.org. For information on top health care issues, visit the online OHA News Media Center at www.ohanet.org/media/.
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