ALMH Wins National Award for Environmental Sustainability

[April 22, 2019]  In recognition for its achievement and innovation in health care sustainability, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital has received two awards from Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in health care. ALMH received the Emerald Award for the second year in a row and for the first time received the Circles of Excellence – Food Award.

The Greenhealth Emerald Award recognizes health care facilities that are setting the standard in eliminating mercury, reducing and recycling waste, sustainable sourcing, and other areas. Winning hospitals have demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability and shown leadership in the local community and in the health care sector. The Food Circle of Excellence highlights leaders in sustainable food services, capturing leadership in meat reduction, procurement of better meat, local and sustainable sourcing, improving access to tap water and healthy beverages, supporting healthy food access, and preventing food waste.

In 2018, ALMH diverted 36 tons of waste to a single stream recycling program and decreased landfill waste by 12 tons. In addition, greenhouse gases were reduced by 10.3% and sugar-sweetened beverage sales were reduced by 16.7%.

“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. “Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital demonstrates the kind of leadership, innovation, and performance that can drive the entire health sector toward more environmentally responsible practices.”

The awards are part 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.

ALMH is a 25-bed critical access hospital located at 200 Stahlhut Drive in Lincoln, Illinois and is an affiliate of Memorial Health System. For more information about ALMH, visit ALMH.org.

[MICHAEL LEATHERS, MHS]