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Maryland Hospitals Commit to Healthy Environment

Release Date: 06/06/2006
Contact Information: Mike Frankel, 215-814-2665 & Bonnie Lomax, 215-814-5542

BALTIMORE - In a ceremony held at Harbor Hospital, Life Resources Center in Baltimore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today awarded four Maryland hospitals for helping to protect the environment. National Naval Medical Center, Calvert Memorial Hospital, Washington Adventist Hospital and Malcolm Grow Medical Center were among 193 organizations nationwide to be named by EPA for their environmental leadership in the healthcare industry.

“These organizations deserve credit for exploring ways to reduce pollution at their and other facilities in the healthcare industry,” said John ‘Randy’ Pomponio, director of the Environmental Assessment and Innovation Division for EPA’s mid-Atlantic Region. “They’re spreading the understanding that having hospitals with healthy environments goes hand-in-hand with protecting people’s health.”

The four winners are participants in EPA’s Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E), a voluntary program focusing on pollution prevention and waste reduction at healthcare facilities. By becoming an H2E partner, a hospital commits to setting priorities and goals to reduce its environmental impact on patients, workers, and the surrounding community. Partners work on a wide array of environmental issues, including eliminating mercury, reducing regulated medical waste, recycling, and green cleaning.

National Medical Center received an award for its recycling program. Calvert, Washington and Malcolm all received H2E’s Making Medicine Mercury Free award, for replacing devices containing mercury, such as thermometers and blood pressure cuffs with mercury-free devices at their facilities.

Thirty-two Maryland hospitals were recognized by EPA for their participation as partners in the H2E program ( A list of recipients is attached).

The H2E partnership organization was established in 1998. In addition to EPA, the national partnership includes the American Hospitals Association, the American Nurses Association, and Healthcare Without Harm. For more information about H2E or becoming a partner, visit the website at http://www.h2e-online.org.

Partner Recognition H2E Award
National Naval Medical Center for recycling/recovery
Calvert Memorial Hospital for policy

Making Medicine Mercury Free H2E Award
Washington Adventist Hospital
Malcolm Grow Medical Center
Calvert Memorial Hospital


REGION III PARTNER RECOGNITION CERTIFICATES

American Radiology Services, Inc.
Anne Arundel Medical Center
Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Calvert Memorial Hospital
Chester River Health System
CIVISTA Medical Center
Deborah Morris and Associates
Doctors Community Hospital
Dorchester General Hospital
Franklin Square Hospital Center
Good Samaritan Hospital
Harbor Hospital
Harford Memorial Hospital
HealthSouth@Easton
Holy Cross Hospital
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Kaiser Permanente—Mid-Atlantic States
Malcolm Grow Medical Center
Memorial Hospital at Easton
Mercy Medical Center
Montgomery General Hospital
National Naval Medical Center
NIH Clinical Center
Patient First

REGION III PARTNER RECOGNITION CERTIFICATES (continued)

Perry Point Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Shady Grove Adventist Hospital
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore
St. Joseph Medical Center
Union Memorial Hospital
University of Maryland Medical Center
Upper Chesapeake Health
Washington Adventist Hospital



Note to Radio News Director:
Audio sounds bites are available in mp3 at https://www.epa.gov/region03/radionews.htm


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