A record number of healthcare facilities have earned an “Energy to Care Award” this year for slashing energy use, a significant achievement as hospitals work to become more efficient. The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) will present 68 facilities with the award at the 55th ASHE Annual Conference and Technical Exhibition, to be held July 15-18 in Seattle. ASHE is a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association.
“We are seeing an increased focus on efficiency as healthcare organizations work to provide high-quality, affordable care,” says ASHE Executive Director, PJ Andrus, MBA, CAE. “Hospitals have unique energy needs because they house high-tech equipment and operate around the clock. Energy to Care provides an opportunity to recognize skilled facility professionals who have helped these complex facilities become more efficient and allowed additional resources to be directed toward patient care.”
The Energy to Care Award recognizes facilities that reduce energy by at least 10% over the previous year, or at least 15% over two years, as well as previous Energy to Care award winners who go on to reduce consumption by an additional 5%. Click here to view the complete list of winning facilities for 2018.
The Energy Champion Award recognizes a single facility that demonstrates outstanding leadership in energy efficiency. This year’s winner, San Diego-based Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center, reduced energy use by 12% in a single year, and senior leadership has supported and funded several energy-saving initiatives. Medical personnel and other staff have proactively identified systems that are not working correctly, and the facility team rapidly responds to fix the issues, creating a culture where inefficiencies are addressed head-on, according to ASHE.
Through the Energy to Care program, local ASHE affiliated chapters can participate in a challenge to see which chapter can reduce energy consumption the most. This year, the Chapter Challenge winners are the Arkansas Association for Healthcare Engineering (small category) and the Healthcare Engineers Society of Northern Illinois (large category).
Sponsored by Johnson Controls, the Energy to Care program is a free benchmarking tool that helps hospitals track energy use and identify areas for improvement.
For more information, visit Energy to Care.