At Mercy Health, we recognize that many of the factors influencing individual and community health occur outside of the walls of our hospitals and medical offices. We work hard to address the social determinants of health in our community and as a non-profit, mission-driven ministry, we strive to be good stewards of our resources – and that includes being aware of our impact on the planet that we call home, Earth. In celebration of Earth Day which is April 22, Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center is highlighting some of the environmental health and sustainability efforts that we’ve prioritized as we continue our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint.
“At Mercy Health, we recognize that health care’s global carbon footprint is significant and are believers that hospitals and health systems should strive to reduce this impact,” Matt Etzkorn, Vice President of Mission, Mercy Health – Lima. “In fact, 80% of emissions in U.S. health care are from goods and services in the supply chain. At St. Rita’s Medical Center, we’ve made significant sustainability efforts to reduce our impact and we are happy to share some examples of those efforts.”
Reducing Waste
· As Styrofoam is not biodegradable or recyclable, St. Rita’s has eliminated Styrofoam cups, plates, and containers from café services. Instead, St. Rita’s now uses 100% recyclable and biodegradable cups, plates, and containers.
· To reduce carboard packaging, St. Rita’s has requested that vendors ship items in reusable totes when possible.
Recycling Efforts
· In 2023, St. Rita’s Medical Center recycled nearly one million pounds of material. This includes recycling 110.7 tons of cardboard and 14.14 tons of electronics.
· At St. Rita’s, a surgical navigator works to recycle sterile “blue wrap” and hard plastics from surgical and pharmaceutical products, reducing waste. The blue wrap is repurposed for bedding at the humane society.
Energy Efficiency
· In an effort to reduce energy usage, St. Rita’s has updated our medical center windows, added thousands of LED lights, automatic electric turn-off switches, and high efficiency HVAC systems to our facilities.
Mercy Health views environmental sustainability issues as community health and wellness challenges, and it’s important to to work to address them in any small way possible. As we continue our efforts, St. Rita’s remains committed to practices that do not contribute to environmental degradation; instead, we want everything we do to contribute to a thriving community: mind, body, and spirit.
“At Mercy Health, we recognize that health care’s global carbon footprint is significant and are believers that hospitals and health systems should strive to reduce this impact,” Matt Etzkorn, Vice President of Mission, Mercy Health – Lima. “In fact, 80% of emissions in U.S. health care are from goods and services in the supply chain. At St. Rita’s Medical Center, we’ve made significant sustainability efforts to reduce our impact and we are happy to share some examples of those efforts.”
Reducing Waste
· As Styrofoam is not biodegradable or recyclable, St. Rita’s has eliminated Styrofoam cups, plates, and containers from café services. Instead, St. Rita’s now uses 100% recyclable and biodegradable cups, plates, and containers.
· To reduce carboard packaging, St. Rita’s has requested that vendors ship items in reusable totes when possible.
Recycling Efforts
· In 2023, St. Rita’s Medical Center recycled nearly one million pounds of material. This includes recycling 110.7 tons of cardboard and 14.14 tons of electronics.
· At St. Rita’s, a surgical navigator works to recycle sterile “blue wrap” and hard plastics from surgical and pharmaceutical products, reducing waste. The blue wrap is repurposed for bedding at the humane society.
Energy Efficiency
· In an effort to reduce energy usage, St. Rita’s has updated our medical center windows, added thousands of LED lights, automatic electric turn-off switches, and high efficiency HVAC systems to our facilities.
Mercy Health views environmental sustainability issues as community health and wellness challenges, and it’s important to to work to address them in any small way possible. As we continue our efforts, St. Rita’s remains committed to practices that do not contribute to environmental degradation; instead, we want everything we do to contribute to a thriving community: mind, body, and spirit.