The good news is there’s a lot of room for improvement. That’s why Mercy Health Partners is going green! Mercy’s parent company, Catholic Health Partners (CHP), has made this a part of the 2009-2013 Strategic Plan which says: “We will manage our resources in an environmentally sustainable manner to ensure their availability for future generations.” Our initiative is called Champion Green. Make it a Habit. 

 

CHP has outlined several corporate-wide goals which include: 

   1) Piloting a paper reduction and recycling program at all of our hospitals; 

   2) Launching other greening initiatives; 

   3) And educating our associates about how they can take simple steps to reduce waste at work and even at home. 

All Mercy facilities are kicking off the “Champion Green. Make it a Habit.” initiative on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22.  Green Teams at each facility will be manning green booths where Mercy associates can take the pledge to be Green.  The “My Green Pledge” includes the following: 

      1)      I will use less paper per month.

      2)      I will replace at least one light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb.

      3)      I will replace one car trip a month with carpooling, biking or walking.

      4)      I will turn off my office light whenever I am not there.

      5)      I will replace plastic grocery bags with reusable bags.

All associates who sign the pledge will receive a free reusable shopping tote to help them get started on their Green Pledge.  Booths will also have reusable coffee and water bottles for sale to encourage the re-use of the containers at home or in Mercy cafeterias.

Another example of Mercy’s efforts to be better stewards of environmental resources is the decision to print its consumer magazine —About Health— on recycled paper. In Mercy’s honor, American Forests (an organization working to protect and restore our forests) will plant 10 trees per issue in areas that desperately need it to prevent erosion or restore acreage after forest fires.  Mercy also encourages About Health readers to share the magazine with friends and then to recycle it.

Not only is the initiative the environmentally responsible thing to do, it also speaks directly to Mercy’s mission and values. Mercy Health Partner’s mission is to continue the healing ministry of Jesus by improving the health of our community — with a special emphasis on those who are poor and underserved. We value compassion, excellence, human dignity, justice, sacredness of  life, and service.

Mercy Health Partners was formed by the merger of St. Mary’s Health System and Baptist Health System of East Tennessee in 2008.  The new healthcare system operates seven acute-care hospitals and many other healthcare facilities across East Tennessee.  More than 1,000 of the area’s leading physicians on the medical staff at Mercy facilities. One of East Tennessee’s largest employers, Mercy has 5,700 associates dedicated to providing compassionate care using the latest medical technology.