Northridge Hospital Medical Center is the recipient of the 2012 “Partner for Change” Award from Practice Greenhealth, a national membership organization for health care facilities committed to environmentally responsible operations. The award is one of the organization’s Environmental Excellence Awards given each year to honor outstanding environmental achievements in the health care sector. The Partner for Change Award recognizes health care facilities that continuously improve and expand upon their mercury elimination, waste reduction, and source reduction programs. At a minimum, facilities applying for this award must be recycling 15 percent of their total waste, be well on their way toward eliminating mercury, and have other successful pollution prevention programs in place. “This award demonstrates Northridge Hospital’s commitment to their community to protect public health and preserve the environment,” Laura Wenger, executive director of Practice Greenhealth said in a prepared statement. Northridge Hospital said some of its achievements on the environmental front include: –Being “mercury-free” since 2001 –Using pigment-free patient plastics –Increasing cardboard recycling by 231 percent since 2006 to 606 tons in 2011 –Initiating an employee recycling program for florescent bulbs, CFLs, ink and toner cartridges, batteries and used sharps and mercury containing products. “We are pleased to be recognized for this significant achievement,” Ron Rozanski, senior vice president of operations at the hospital said in a statement. “We are proud to be a model of how health facilities develop and implement programs to improve the health of our patients, staff and community.” Judy Temes
