VA medical center honored for sustainability
COATESVILLE » The Coatesville VA Medical Center has been recognized for its performance in environmental sustainability. The center was recently presented with Practice Greenhealth’s 2020 Partner for Change Award.
The award recognizes “superior performance in environmental sustainability, covering a range of different sustainability programs and activities,” according to information on Practice Greenhealth’s website. It is one of Practice Greenhealth’s annual Environmental Excellence Awards. The health care membership organization provides sustainability solutions to benefit patients and employees, communities, financial security and the environment.
To be recognized, the Coatesville VA Medical Center needed to demonstrate it continuously improved and expanded upon programs to eliminate mercury, reduce and recycle waste, source products sustainably and more, according to a press release.
“In a shifting health care landscape, a focus on sustainability can help build resilience while better protecting the health of patients and the community,” Gary Cohen, Practice Greenhealth founder, said in the release. “Coatesville VAMC demonstrates the kind of leadership, innovation, and performance that can drive the entire health sector toward more environmentally responsible practices.”
Initiatives implemented at the center include: Scouts constructed raised vegetable gardens as part of their Eagle Scout projects, and veterans have been tending the vegetable gardens. A portion of the food is used by Coatesville VA Medical Center nutrition and food service in cooking demonstrations and the rest is donated to the Chester County Food Bank each week.
In addition, Penn Medicine/Chester County Hospital designed and planted a new pollinator garden; the Chester County Food Bank offered locally sourced produce to staff and veterans throughout the year. Efforts have also included public education, new outside recycling bins placed around campus and tree banding to reduce the Spotted Lanternfly population.
One large project involved cleaning out the old research building on the medical center’s campus. It contributed 5.59 tons of books and papers and removed 1,840 pounds of biological waste and 2,400 pounds of chemicals, according to the release.
“Construction projects accounted for more than 3,370 tons of recycled materials including concrete, dirt, metal and trees, while the single-stream recycling program captured another 500 tons of materials with a one-bin-for-all recyclables concept,” the release stated.
Practice Greenhealth started as the result of an agreement between a health care association and a federal agency with shared goals for environmental stewardship and sustainability in health care, and has grown into a network that includes hospitals and health care systems, health care providers, manufacturers and service providers, architectural, engineering and design firms, group purchasing organizations and affiliated nonprofit organizations, according to information on the organization’s website.
The Environmental Excellence Awards program was launched in 2002 and recognizes health care facilities and health systems for their commitment to environmental stewardship and their sustainability achievements.