St. Joseph's Honored for Environmental Achievements

St. Joseph's Received Partner for Change Award from Practice Greenhealth

STOCKTON, May 2, 2019 - St. Joseph's Medical Center is proud to have received the Partner for Change Award from Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in health care. 

“The care of our common home is integral to our mission at St. Joseph’s, to the health of our community and our world," said Sister Abby Newton, OP, Vice President of Mission Integration. 

The Partner for Change Award recognizes health care facilities that continuously improve and expand upon programs to eliminate mercury, reduce and recycle waste, source products sustainably, and more. Winning facilities must demonstrate that they are recycling at least 15 percent of their total waste, have reduced regulated medical waste, are on track to eliminate mercury, and have developed successful sustainability programs in many areas.

“As more and more hospitals embed sustainability into their operations, the bar for environmental excellence increases every year,” said Gary Cohen, president of Practice Greenhealth. “St. Joseph's demonstrates the kind of leadership, innovation, and performance that can drive the entire health sector toward more environmentally responsible practices.”

St. Joseph's recent environmental achievements include the following:

• Diverted over 77,500 lbs of plastic from landfills
• Used 11,937 lbs of reprocessed medical devices
• Recycled over 183,500 lbs of cardboard and 12,700 lbs of mixed recycling waste

The award is one of Practice Greenhealth’s Environmental Excellence Awards given to honor health care’s achievements in sustainability. The award will be formally presented at the Environmental Excellence Awards Gala May 9 in Nashville during CleanMed, the premier national conference for leaders in health care sustainability. 

In addition to being a Practice Greenhealth award recipient, St. Joseph's was also the first hospital in the state to be recognized as a Certified Green Business, and has received the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, which is the state's highest environmental honor.

 
# # #

About St. Joseph's Medical Center
St. Joseph's Medical Center is a not-for-profit, fully accredited, regional hospital with 347 beds, a physician staff of over 600, and more than 2,300 employees. St. Joseph's specializes in cardiovascular care, comprehensive cancer services, and women and children's services including neonatal intensive care. St. Joseph's is the largest hospital, as well as one of the largest private employers in San Joaquin County. In addition to being nationally recognized as a quality leader, St. Joseph's is consistently chosen as the "most preferred hospital" by local consumers. Founded in 1899 by Fr. William O'Connor and administered by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, St. Joseph's continues to lead the region in medical innovation. St. Joseph's Medical Center is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. In FY 2016, St. Joseph's provided over $57 million in charity care, community services, and unreimbursed patient care. St. Joseph's Medical Center is a member of Dignity Health, a system of ancillary care sites, medical foundations, and acute care hospitals serving California, Arizona and Nevada. 

About Practice Greenhealth
Practice Greenhealth is the leading membership and networking organization for sustainable health care, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,100 U.S. hospitals and health systems. Learn more at practicegreenhealth.org.