News

Speare Memorial Hospital - One More H2E Partner for Change!
(10/10/07)

We are thrilled to announce that Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth recently became an H2E (Hospitals for a Healthy Environment) Partner for Change. Speare brings the statewide total of H2E Partner hospitals in New Hampshire up to 24. That leaves 5 (yes, just 5!) acute-care hospitals yet to sign on.

If you're one of the 5 hold-outs, please consider joining H2E today. The benefits are many and you'll be in excellent company here in New Hampshire and across the U.S. Visit www.h2eonline.org for more information. Be conspicuously absent no more -- JOIN TODAY!


Three NH hospitals nationally recognized for environmental excellence (5/23/2007)

NHHA is pleased to announce that 3 New Hampshire hospitals were recently recognized for their outstanding achievements in reducing waste, eliminating mercury, and improving environmental performance. Concord Hospital, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital were among 128 hospitals nationwide to receive environmental excellence awards from the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E). The awards were presented on May 14 at the 2007 H2E Environmental Summit in Minneapolis, MN.

Concord Hospital received its second Partners for Change award for continuously improving and expanding on their mercury elimination, waste reduction and pollution prevention programs. Facilities applying for this award recycle at least 10% of their solid waste, have begun mercury elimination programs with a plan in place for total elimination, and have developed other successful pollution prevention programs.

Concord Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital were both recipients of a Making Medicine Mercury-Free award (MMMF). This award recognizes facilities that have virtually eliminated mercury from their facilities and have made a commitment to continue to be “mercury free.”

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) received its third Sustained Environmental Leadership award. It recognizes health care facilities that are setting the highest standard for environmental practices in health care. Facilities are eligible for this award if they have met the criteria for the MMMF Award, recycle at least 25% of their solid waste and have implemented numerous other innovative pollution prevention programs.

H2E is a national movement working to create environmental sustainability in health care. It was jointly founded by the AHA, the U.S. EPA, Health Care Without Harm, and the American Nurses Association. H2E’s mission is to provide education, tools and information about best environmental practices to help health care professionals improve operational efficiency, increase compliance, and improve the health of their communities.

Congratulations to Concord, DHMC and St. Joseph for their hard work and commitment to environmental improvement and excellence. And thanks to all of New Hampshire’s hospitals for their ongoing greening efforts – hopefully 2008 will be their year to win an H2E award.

Four NH hospitals receive national recognition for their environmental achievements (4/18/2006)

April 18, 2006, Seattle, WA - Today four New Hampshire hospitals received recognition from the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) for their efforts to prevent pollution and improve environmental performance while delivering quality patient care.

Concord Hospital was the recipient of a Partners for Change Award. This award is given to facilities that have made significant progress toward reducing waste, preventing pollution and eliminating mercury. It recognizes hospitals that acknowledge and act upon the crucial link between community and environmental health. Recipients reduce, reuse and/or recycle at least 10% of their total waste each year, and often find that these pollution prevention programs benefit both their communities and their bottom line.

Littleton Regional Hospital, Parkland Medical Center and Portsmouth Regional Hospital each received the Making Medicine Mercury Free Award. This one-time award is given to facilities that have met the challenge of becoming virtually mercury-free. Mercury - a potent neurotoxin and developmental toxin - can impact human health at extremely low levels, and health care facilities can be a major contributor to mercury air emissions. Hospitals that receive this award meet stringent benchmarks for mercury elimination.

H2E, a non-profit group focused on improving health care’s environmental performance, is based on the vision of a healthy health care system – a system that embraces safer building products, clean air, energy and water efficiency, safe working practices, and a commitment to public health demonstrated through waste volume and toxicity reduction. Jointly founded by the American Hospital Association, the Environmental Protection Agency, Health Care Without Harm, and the American Nurses Association, H2E educates health care professionals about pollution prevention opportunities, rewards the sector’s best performers, and provides a wealth of practical tools and resources to facilitate the industry's movement toward environmental sustainability.

“These four organizations are making the connection between preventing pollution and protecting health,” said Laura Brannen, Director of the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment Program. “They are to be commended for working hard to prioritize environmental programs in their facilities and for taking the steps necessary to make their practice of health care safer and healthier for their patients, staff, their community and the environment.”

The leading national force in helping hospitals with environmental improvement, H2E provides practical solutions through its website, regular teleconferences offering expert assistance, and a listserv where colleagues across the country share best practices and pollution prevention strategies. At CleanMed 2006, H2E honored nearly 200 healthcare facilities nationwide for environmental excellence through its annual awards program. To learn more, visit www.h2e-online.org.

DHMC recognized for environmental leadership (4/14/05)

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is among more than 70 hospital and health care organizations honored for outstanding efforts to reduce waste, virtually eliminate mercury and minimize the use of toxic products. At a ceremony in Chicago, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) presented the organization's Environmental Leadership Award for "setting the highest standards of environmental performance in health care." H2E is a joint project of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, AHA, American Nurses Association, and Health Care Without! Harm.
 

NH hospitals on a roll - CMC makes it 22 H2E Partners for Change (3/2/05) 

Congratulations to CMC who recently became an H2E Partner for Change, bringing the total of New Hampshire hospital partners up to 22!  These 22, along with hundreds of other hospitals and health care providers across the country, are part of a national movement for environmental sustainability in health care known as the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E).  They have committed to reduce the volume and toxicity of health care waste and to minimize environmental impact. For more info about the program, click HERE.

If you’re not already an H2E hospital, (click HERE to find out), what are you waiting for? Besides protecting the environment, this free, voluntary program offers the resources and technical assistance to help hospitals save money, reduce their liability and get them the recognition they deserve for their accomplishments. 

Lakes Region General Hospital Becomes the Latest H2E Partner for Change  (2/14/05)

We're pleased to announce that Lakes Region General Hospital recently became the 21st New Hampshire hospital to sign on as an H2E (Hospitals for a Healthy Environment) Partner. They’re in excellent company as they join most of their peers here in the state and hundreds of hospitals nationwide working to eliminate mercury, reduce waste and minimize their environmental impact. Way to go Lakes!

H2E is a joint program of the American Hospital Association, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Health Care Without Harm, and the American Nurses Association.  It’s a free and voluntary program whose goals are to eliminate the use of mercury in health care by 2005, cut health care waste in half by 2010 and reduce the use and production of toxic and hazardous substances.  Click HERE for more info about the H2E program.

Be the next New Hampshire hospital to show its commitment to environmental improvement and excellence. For more info about the program, or to see a list of the other New Hampshire Partners, click HERE.  Check it out!