Mercy Health earns environmental excellence awards

TOLEDO — Mercy Health - Tiffin Hospital, along with other Mercy Health hospitals in the Toledo area, has earned environmental excellence awards from Practice Greenhealth, a leading sustainability member organization for hospital networks. Through efforts coordinated by a collaborative council of multi-disciplinary stakeholders, Bon Secours Mercy Health and Mercy Health - Toledo implemented system-wide sustainable initiatives, according to a Mercy Health news release. As a mission-based organization, the release said Mercy Health has a continued commitment to the health and well-being of the patients and communities it serves. That includes a commitment to developing a sustainable culture through environmental stewardship and working with others to protect the environment and communities' health now and for future generations. Each of Mercy Health's seven hospitals in the Toledo region were recognized for their sustainability efforts, including St. Vincent Medical Center, St. Charles Hospital, St. Anne Hospital, Perrysburg Hospital, Willard Hospital and Defiance Hospital, in addition to Tiffin. "As health care providers caring for our community, Mercy Health is keenly aware that the health of the environment has a direct impact on human health outcomes," said Jennifer Discher, vice president, Mercy Health - Toledo Mission in the release. "We believe in our ability to heal and the ensuing responsibility to be good stewards of the resources in front of us. Not only are we called upon to address the effects of environmental degradation on the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of our community, but to engage in sustainable practices that leave the Earth a better place for future generations." Of note, Mercy Health - St. Anne Hospital initiated a program to curtail the unavoidable waste associated with the traditional hospital storage and distribution of nitrous oxide. Additionally, the cafeterias in all hospitals substantially reduced the amount of Styrofoam used. At Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center, the culinary teams collect food scraps and unusable parts of food, measure it and use specially designed composting trash cans to dispose of it as part of a compost program in partnership with GoZero. Bon Secours Mercy Health, for the second consecutive year, won the System for Change Award, which recognizes health systems that are working cohesively to set system-wide sustainability goals, track performance data, benchmark and support intra-organizational learning and implementation within their institutions, the release said. Major health system successes that led to the award include achieving system-level recycling at Practice Greenhealth's median percentage because BSMH's average of 27% exceeds Practice Greenhealth's target; and confirming system-level elimination of PVC/DEHP from glove, breast pumps and their nutrition accessories such as feeding tubes. "I am very grateful for all the many diligent efforts exerted to once again achieve this significant recognition and move this important work forward. We are unified in a shared concern for Earth and all its inhabitants. I feel blessed to be part of an organization doing its part to care for our common home," said Noah Dunlap in the release. He is vice president of insights and innovation, Bon Secours Mercy Health and Advantus Health Partners, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bon Secours Mercy Health. "These successful initiatives illustrate the commitment BSMH has to instilling a sustainable culture in every area of health care." Toledo's area hospitals were among 31 BSMH hospitals throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia and South Carolina that earned either the Partner for Change or Partner Recognition Award from Practice Greenhealth.