They're Green And Proud: Local Kaiser Permanente Hospitals Honored For Environmental Work

Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara and San Jose Medical Centers have been honored for environmental excellence by Practice Greenhealth, a national group dedicated to environmental sustainability in healthcare.

In all, 17 Kaiser Permanente medical centers across the United States were honored, thirteen of them in California. The awards are given each year to recognize environmental achievements in the health care sector.

For Kaiser Permanente San Jose, this is the fourth year in a row that Practice Greenhealth has named the medical center a Partner for Change-Emerald for its work at reducing its environmental footprint.

“This confirms our commitment to ensuring the health of our surroundings, as well as our members and patients,” said Irene Chavez, Senior Vice President and Area Manager, Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. “We’ve diverted more than 200 tons of cardboard and other waste away from the landfill, and we’re composting food scraps in our gardens.”

At the hospital cafeteria there is a growing sustainable food purchasing program, and a robust program for donating un-used food and pre-packaged meals. The hospital also participated in a 21-day plant-based diet program, said Elizabeth Bailey, who oversees nutrition programs at the hospital.

Outside the cafeterias, there are 10 new Electric Vehicle Charging stations, power-saving LED lights, large reductions in landscape water use, and a highly successful printer-toner recycling program.

Recently, the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical center was among the first in Northern California to install fuel cells to reduce dependency on the electric grid. The cells power several clinics on campus. Kaiser Permanente’s statewide fuel cell program is expected to save $100 million in electrical costs over 15 years.

At Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara, also named a Partner for Change, a very active Green Team has been able to recycle 20% of the hospital’s waste stream, thereby keeping it out of landfills.

“Our Green Team has done a great job reducing waste and pollutants,” said Chris Boyd, Senior Vice President and Area Manager, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center. “We’ve done a lot of work in the food area, like switching to baking rather than frying, removing sugary soft drinks from cafes and vending machines, and setting up a farm-to-table food purchasing program.”

Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara made large reductions in energy use, through energy-saving devices. About 43,000 solar panels, (see them here: https://vimeo.com/218548265 ) nearly an acre, cover the roofs of the medical center’s parking garages.

Kari Frank, who works with the KP Santa Clara “green team” says the solar panels provide more than 10 percent of the hospital’s power.