Mercy Health Youngstown Honored with John Chapman Award

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Mercy Health Youngstown will receive the Ohio Hospital Association’s (OHA) top award for environmental leadership, the John Chapman Award, the health system announced on April 23.

OHA made the announcement in recognition of Earth Day, which is celebrated annually on April 22. The John Chapman Award, which recognizes one hospital or health care system each year for outstanding achievements in reducing the organization’s ecological footprint, will be presented June 9 during the OHA’s annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio.

Over the past six years, Mercy Health Youngstown, formerly known as Humility of Mary Health Partners, has implemented a wide range of programs and practices that save water and energy, reduce waste, promote recycling, prevent hazardous materials from being landfilled, reduce emissions and increase access to healthy foods — especially in food deserts.

“Being good stewards of the Earth aligns with Mercy Health’s mission to improve the health of our community and we embrace that, continually striving to improve our practices and processes to achieve environmental sustainability,” said Matthew R. Waggle, regional director of environmental services, in a statement. “Over the past six years, reducing our ecological impact has become a core component of the culture here at Mercy Health Youngstown, and a key consideration in all of our decisions.”

“Our efforts incorporate and promote sound environmental practices throughout Mercy Health Youngstown — all departments, all practices, all facilities,” Waggle added. “With this award we’re not being recognized for a specific project, but rather our continuing efforts to reduce our impact on the earth.”

Those efforts include recycling construction waste such as concrete block, wood, gypsum, asphalt, steel, brick, shingles and fabric. Eighty percent of construction waste was recycled when the new patient tower at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital, part of Mercy Health, was built, reducing energy consumption by replacing traditional lighting with LEDs and installing occupancy sensors where appropriate. The hospital also eliminated bottled water and printed agendas during meetings, promoting double-sided rather than single-sided copies of materials that must be printed.

Other sustainable efforts included recycling more than 10,000 pounds of plastic blue wrap that keeps surgical instruments sterile every year since the blue wrap recycling program was introduced; reducing cafeteria waste by using traditional tableware rather than disposable plates, upgrading HVAC systems so they operate at peak efficiencies; using green and sustainable chemicals for cleaning and disinfecting; using reusable sharps containers, diverting pharmaceutical waste from landfills and sewers; hosting community recycling events; and recycling a wide variety of materials generated by routine business operations.

Mercy Health Youngstown also hosts seasonal farmers markets to ensure patients, employees, visitors and residents of surrounding neighborhoods have easy access to fresh, locally grown produce, meats and dairy products.

This is the first time Mercy Health has received the John Chapman Award, named in honor of Johnny Appleseed. However, the OHA has recognized Mercy Health Youngstown’s ongoing efforts to achieve environmental sustainability every year since 2011 with the prestigious Melvin Creeley Award.