Practice Greenhealth Honors Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Richmond for Environmental Stewardship

Kaiser Permanente’s medical centers in Oakland and Richmond were awarded the 2016 “Greenhealth Partner for Change” Award by Practice Greenhealth, a national non-profit that promotes and encourages positive environmental stewardship in the health care community.

The awards are given each year to recognize organizations for reducing their environmental footprint, modeling sustainability for communities, and supporting environmental health and justice.

“This award shows our commitment to not only our patients, members and employees but to the communities we serve as well,” says Mark Fratzke, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente’s East Bay Area. “Kaiser Permanente believes that good health begins with a healthy community and we are glad to be doing our part.”

The “Greenhealth Partner for Change Award” recognizes health care facilities that continuously improve and expand upon their mercury elimination, waste reduction, recycling and source reduction programs. Honorees were recognized for recycling 15 percent of their facility’s total waste, reducing regulated medical waste, eliminating mercury and developing other successful pollution prevention programs.

Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading health care community dedicated to transforming health care worldwide so that it reduces its environmental footprint, becomes a community anchor for sustainability and a leader in the global movement for environmental health and justice. To learn more about Practice Greenhealth visit www.practicegreenhealth.org.