Mercy Health — Youngstown Receives Statewide Recognition for Environmental Stewardship

The Ohio Hospital Association has named Mercy Health –  Youngstown, which includes St. Elizabeth Youngstown and Boardman Hospitals as well as St. Joseph Warren Hospital, the recipient of the 2019 Melvin Creeley Environmental Leadership Award.

Melvin Creeley Environmental Leadership Award honorees are recognized for promoting sound environmental practices through environmental stewardship and implementing or developing best practices for other hospitals to follow. The award is named after the retired president and CEO of East Liverpool City Hospital, Melvin Creeley, who chaired OHA’s Environmental Leadership Council from its inception in 2001 to 2010.

“Ohio hospitals are committed to the health and wellness of their communities,” said Nolan Rutschilling, director of the Energy Program, OHA. “Today we are proud to honor hospitals in Ohio who dedicated resources and implemented new programs to improve their environmental stewardship in the community. By embracing energy efficiency and sustainability, Ohio hospitals can reduce their environmental impact and reinvest cost savings back into their communities.” He added. 

Locally, Mercy Health – Youngstown has led hospitals throughout the Country on national benchmarking for Energy Star Ratings by developing initiatives that have significantly reduced greenhouse gases; enhanced management of electricity and gas usage as well as developing and implementing programming that had led the industry in recycling of hazardous waste such as fluorescent light bulb, pharmaceuticals and more. 

Lastly, the hospitals are working directly with vendors on bringing healthier, clean post-consumerable packaging and utensils to the systems nutrition service operations. 

“The outside environment is a large part of a patient’s healing,” said Dr. John Luellen, Market President of Mercy Health – Youngstown. “As we continue to focus on delivering care to patients outside our traditional hospital walls, our ability to develop and implement sustainable environmental practices allows us to further influence and foster a healthy landscape,” he added.