News

Mercy Medical Center Commits to
Improving Environment, Public Health

Mercy Medical Center, 701 10th St. SE, has joined in the growing national trend of providing environmentally sustainable health care by becoming a Partner for Change in the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) program.

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment’s mission is a transformation of the health care sector to embrace safer building products, clean air, energy and water efficiency, safe working practices and a commitment to public health demonstrated through waste volume and toxicity reduction. As a non-profit organization jointly founded by the American Hospital Association, the Environmental Protection Agency, Health Care Without Harm, and the American Nurses Association, H2E educates health care professionals about pollution prevention opportunities, rewards the sector’s best performers and provides a wealth of practical tools and resources to facilitate the industry’s movement toward environmental sustainability.

“Mercy understands that providing quality health care means caring both for patients and the environment in which they live,” said Kent Miller, Director, Environmental Services. “As landfills begin to fill to capacity we feel that it is important to do the most we can as a health care facility, to reduce, reuse or recycle as much as possible.”

“Environmentally responsible health care has become a common sense and mainstream way of providing care that’s safe for everyone – patients, staff and the community,” said Laura Brannen, Director of H2E. “Mercy Medical Center’s commitment shows that they understand the critical link between our environment and our health.”

H2E designed the Partners for Change program to assist health care facilities in achieving H2E’s goals. Partners pledge to make changes in their facilities that protect their community’s health and the environment, and H2E recognizes partners for their accomplishments through an annual awards program.

For more information about the H2E program, visit www.h2e-online.org. H2E’s web site offers pollution prevention tools for hospitals. An H2E listserv provides more than 1,000 health care professionals with a forum to share technical information and practical strategies for pollution prevention. Free monthly teleconferences provide hands-on assistance in creating successful environmental programs.