UCI Health honored for excellence in sustainability

Claims two 'Circle of Excellence' awards from Practice Greenhealth

July 06, 2022

Orange, Calif. - UCI Health has been recognized by Practice Greenhealth as a national leader in environmental sustainability, winning two Circle of Excellence awards. Practice Greenhealth is the nation's leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in healthcare. More than 1,400 U.S. hospitals and healthcare systems are part of the Practice Greenhealth network.

The Circle of Excellence awards celebrate hospitals that have not only earned an award for all-around sustainability achievement but have also been identified as the top scoring programs in each sustainability category.

"UCI Health is making an across-the-board team effort to improve sustainability and this recognition only validates the work we are doing," said UCI Health CEO Chad T. Lefteris. "UCI Health is made up of more than 8,000 compassionate teammates, all committed to reducing waste and inefficiencies, and creating a more sustainable future for our Orange County community. It is our honor to support this important effort."

In recognition that some healthcare organizations have exemplary sustainability performance in specific areas, Practice Greenhealth created the Circle of Excellence awards to honor up to 10 of the highest performing hospitals nationwide in each area. Winners must achieve at least its 'Greenhealth Partner for Change' award status and demonstrate outstanding performance and metrics in a specific sustainability impact area.

UCI Health has been awarded the following Circle of Excellence awards:

• Circle of Excellence - Energy
• Circle of Excellence - Climate

In addition, UCI Health was further lauded by Practice Greenhealth, which named it a winner of this year's Greenhealth Emerald Award.This award recognizes the organization's ongoing commitment to improving its environmental performance and efforts to build sustainability into the operations and culture of UCI Health.

Some of the 2021 UCI Health achievements that contributed to receiving these awards include:

• Launching an organics pre-consumer waste-to-animal feed program
• Procuring 100% clean (zero carbon) electricity
• Improving energy performance metrics (reducing overall demand for electricity and natural gas) and reducing our carbon emissions
• Completing a 'Greening the OR' assessment
• Establishing an executive-level sustainability steering committee
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with purchased anesthetic gases by more than 60% and completely eliminating the use of desflurane, an inhaled anesthetic gas with the highest global warming potential
• Developing and implementing a best-practice advisory pilot program to lower fresh gas flow rates
• Hosting Climate Resilience Planning workshops with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion

UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, and the only academic health system in Orange County. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its main campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif. The 459-bed, acute care hospital, listed among America's Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 21 consecutive years, provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center is home to Orange County's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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