Good Samaritan Hospital Named Most Green in the U.S.

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital is again among the 25 most “green” hospitals in the country, according to the nation’s leading health care environmental stewardship organization.

Practice Greenhealth’s Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards recognize organizations that are setting the highest standards for environmental practices in health care. Winners are those with highest overall scoring. They must also meet key performance indicator targets in a variety of subcategories.

Additionally, Good Samaritan Hospital was named to two of Practice Greenhealth’s circles of excellence, in the categories of leadership and chemicals. New this year, Practice Greenhealth’s “Greening the OR Initiative” recognized hospitals that have made substantial strides in environmental performance in the operating room; Good Samaritan Hospital won that award as well.

“From sponsoring office supply exchange events to using recycled motor oil in hospital vehicles, we’re always looking for innovative solutions to make us a greener organization,” says Laura Neiberg, vice president of support operations. “This recognition from Practice Greenhealth would not be possible without the leadership and commitment of our green team members and all of our Good Samaritan associates.”

Good Samaritan Hospital has reduced energy consumption by almost 13 percent from 2008 to 2015 by implementing the following tactics: investing in a cleaning robot to thoroughly sanitize areas using ultraviolet light instead of harsh chemicals, increasing the use of Green Seal-certified chemical spending (which was 91.1 percent of total chemical cleaner spending in 2015), installing LED lighting and occupancy sensors in all operating suites, upgrading the chilled water bridges with pressure independent valves, participating in a demand response program to successfully curtail a significant portion of the electric load during scheduled testing periods, encouraging departments to clean out their areas and bring unneeded office supplies to a central location to be swapped or donated, completing modifications to the drainage system across campus to reduce water use and runoff, and installing an electric car charging station in one of the hospital’s parking garages.

“We are proud to have earned this prestigious award for our environmentally-friendly practices,” says Cindy Keith, green team leader and quality improvement/safety analyst at Good Samaritan Hospital. “This award demonstrates that we are leading the industry in sustainability practices that are truly making a difference in patient care and the well-being of our associates and the community.”

While the 25 hospitals presented with Practice Greenhealth’s highest honors vary greatly in size, they are all leading the country in health care sustainability and have the data and documentation to prove their success. “These hospitals have exemplary sustainability programs and are defined as the go-to leaders in the health care industry,” according to Practice Greenhealth.

“Being an Environmental Excellence Award winner demonstrates your commitment to improving your environmental performance and your pride in realizing a top standard of excellence in sustainability,” says Cecilia DeLoach Lynn, director, sector performance and recognition, Practice Greenhealth.
Good Samaritan Hospital has earned Practice Greenhealth’s Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards for three consecutive years. The hospital also was recognized among the Top 50 greenest hospitals by Becker’s Hospital Review.

The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards were presented at the CleanMed Conference & Exhibition May 19 in Dallas.

About Practice Greenhealth: Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading health care community that empowers its members to increase their efficiencies and environmental stewardship while improving patient safety and care through tools, best practices and knowledge. To learn more about Practice Greenhealth, visit www.practicegreenhealth.org.