Every day there are efforts in place at LifeBridge Health to reduce our environmental impact. Many are policies that patients and visitors do not see, such as requiring a minimal amount of supplies being ordered to reduce the amount of packaging involved in shipping. Others are more public, such as cafeteria napkin dispensers that give out a napkin at a time, or having recycling bins posted throughout our buildings.
For its corporate waste management policies, food reduction and composting, and environmentally-friendly purchasing policies, LifeBridge Health was one of six hospitals to receive a Trailblazer Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The award, presented by EPA’s Virginia Thompson, Sustainable Healthcare Sector Manager in Region 3, was given at the Maryland H2E conference this morning. The award winners are considered models for other hospitals in that they have shown leadership in a particular area of sustainability.
“These hospitals are paving the way – thus, they are trailblazers,” Thompson said. “This is the first year the trailblazer awards were extended to Maryland, and the applications were very strong.”
Thompson said one of the reasons the hospital systems were successful was because executive leadership listened to ideas from clinical and support staff on the front lines.
“What’s neat is that in all cases the support came from the top management. The support of the front management is absolutely critical,” she said.
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