Kaiser Permanente Honored with 17 Environmental Excellence Awards for Leadership in Health Care Sustainability

OAKLAND, Calif., May 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of its groundbreaking achievement and innovation in health care sustainability, Kaiser Permanente, the nation's largest integrated health system, has garnered 17 Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence awards, including the designation of the Vacaville Medical Center as one of the top 25 hospitals in the country for environmental excellence.

Practice Greenhealth is the nation's leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in health care. The Environmental Excellence Awards are given each year to honor environmental achievement in the health care sector. Kaiser Permanente has been recognized by Practice Greenhealth for its sustainability work every year since the awards program began in 2002.

Kaiser Permanente's awards recognize the commitment, embodied in its 2025 Environmental Stewardship Goals, to buying safer products, conserving energy, using solar and wind power and managing waste that puts the organization among the nation's leaders in environmental responsibility.

"This recognition underscores the many ways environmental stewardship has become embedded throughout our organization as we work to deliver on our commitment to improve the total health of our employees, members and the communities we serve," said Kathy Gerwig, Kaiser Permanente's vice president for employee safety, health and wellness and its environmental stewardship officer. "We are thrilled to be part of the momentum that is building around the benefits of green practices within the health care industry and beyond."

All of the 13 Kaiser Permanente hospitals honored are in California. The full list of Kaiser Permanente's Environmental Excellence awards includes:

• Circle of Excellence for Environmentally Preferable Purchasing: Kaiser Permanente
• Top 25 Environmental Excellence Award: Vacaville Medical Center
• Partners for Change Emerald:
• Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center
• Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado
• Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Moreno Valley Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center
• Partner for Change:
• Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc.  
• Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States     
• Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center                     
• Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center                 
• Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center 
• Partner Recognition:
• Kaiser Permanente Irvine Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Ontario Medical Center

The awards will be presented at the Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards Gala, set for May 18^th in Minneapolis, Minn., at the conclusion of the CleanMed Conference & Exhibition.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 11.3 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

Media Contact:
Marc Brown
[email protected]
510-271-6328

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

Related Links

http://www.kaiserpermanente.org