Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Earns National Partners for Change Award for Environmental Stewardship

Medical Center is among 29 Kaiser Permanente facilities around the country honored by the Practice Greenhealth organization

Kaiser Permanente’s South San Francisco Medical Center is among the 2013 recipients of the “Partners for Change” Award by Practice Greenhealth, a national organization that promotes green practice, construction and resource conservation in health care.

To qualify for this honor, health facilities must meet a series of benchmarks, including a waste-recycling rate of at least 15 percent.  South San Francisco’s Environmental Stewardship Program, known as the Green Team, works together to identify, promote, and implement environmentally-friendly, sustainable and cost-effective practices to conserve natural resources, minimize waste and increase recycling.

“Our mission at Kaiser Permanente is to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve,” said Martha Gilmore, Medical Group Administrator and one of the three Green Team leaders, along with Gary Simms, Support Services Assistant Administrator, and David Le, MD, FACS, Dept. of General Surgery/Bariatrics, who is excited about the progress.  “Each change we make has an impact. And I am proud of the work we have done to keep the program moving forward, creating a greener environment for our members and our employees,” said Dr. Le.

“Each change we make has an impact. And I am proud of the work we have done to keep the program moving forward, creating a greener environment for our members and our employees,” said Dr. Le.

In all, 29 Kaiser Permanente facilities around the country – including 15 in Northern California – were cited by Practice Greenhealth in this year’s awards.  All of the awards presented to Kaiser Permanente are a reflection of the environmental-stewardship efforts the organization is making system-wide. Kaiser Permanente is a health care leader nationally in saving energy, purchasing safer materials, sourcing sustainable food and reducing waste. For example, the organization has committed to aggressive targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through on-site renewable energy use and energy conservation measures; providing sustainable food in its patient meals; safe recycling of single-use medical devices to eliminate waste; and eliminating toxins such as DEHP and PVC from many of its medical supplies.

“I am pleased with the significant strides achieved over the last year.” said Gary Simms, Support Services Assistant Administrator.  “I look forward to the new electronic monitoring program which will allow us even greater success in managing and reducing our energy usage.”

The national green award was given in Boston, Massachusetts on Thursday, April 25 by Practice Greenhealth.  Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco has been a proud recipient of this award in four times over the past decade.

“Our physicians and staff are actively involved in identifying opportunities to expand our sustainability efforts," said Martha Gilmore. "Together with the Green Team we are achieving a positive impact to our environment and making lives better for our patients."  

Practice Greenhealth is non-profit membership organization founded in 1998 to support environmental stewardship and help develop best practices in the health-care community. The organization believes that sustainable health care is good for the environment, good for patients and staff, and good for the bottom line. Its goals include eliminating mercury use, reducing and recycling solid waste, reducing regulated and chemical waste, reducing energy and water consumption, and establishing green purchasing policies.

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