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Keck Medical Center of ß÷ßäÉçÇø and ß÷ßäÉçÇø Verdugo Hills Hospital acknowledged for innovation in healthcare sustainability  

Keck Medical Center of ß÷ßäÉçÇø and ß÷ßäÉçÇø Verdugo Hills Hospital are recipients of 2026 Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards in recognition of their achievement in healthcare sustainability. Practice Greenhealth is a leading organization for sustainable health care. 

The Environmental Excellence Awards recognize healthcare organizations that are reducing their environmental footprint while improving resilience, operational efficiency and community health. Healthcare organizations voluntarily submit data on topics such as environmentally friendly waste facilities, supply purchasing, food preparation and transportation

Keck Medical Center, which consists of Keck Hospital of ß÷ßäÉçÇø and ß÷ßäÉçÇø Norris Cancer Hospital, earned the Greenhealth Leader Award. This competitive award celebrates hospitals that have not only earned an award for all-around sustainability achievement, but that have also been identified as the top scoring programs for each category of sustainability. ß÷ßäÉçÇø-VHH received a Greenhealth Recognition Award for its commitment to sustainability. 

Keck Medicine has made sustainability a priority in recent years. One area of huge success is reducing greenhouse gas emissions â€” gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.  

Operating rooms in particular have traditionally produced relatively  large amounts of greenhouse gases due to the anesthetic agents used during surgeries. Through a series of targeted initiatives, Keck Medical Center has significantly and meaningfully reduced these emissions.  

Today, the anesthesia department is no longer using desflurane or nitrous oxide, the two most potent greenhouse gases used in a medical setting.  Additionally, the medical center has implemented a software upgrade that automatically adjusts the flow of anesthesia gases to reduce wastage.  

Keck Medical Center has also eliminated 10,000 units of annual battery waste in the operating rooms by converting from disposable to reusable laryngoscope handles and diverting  50,000 pounds of kitchen food waste to compost, which significantly lessens the impact of waste processing on our environment.  

ß÷ßäÉçÇø-VHH completed LED retrofitting of all lighting in common areas, offices and work areas. This reduced the electricity use by almost half.

Looking to the future, Keck Medicine will continue to explore initiatives to stay green, including further reducing waste supply, offering locally grown food and achieving higher energy efficiency.

Keck Medicine is part of a rising commitment in the industry to sustainability efforts. This year, 430 organizations submitted sustainability data to Practice Greenhealth, representing more than 700 healthcare facilities across the United States and Canada, making it the largest awards cycle in the program’s history. In total, Practice Greenhealth recognized 430 healthcare organizations with 538 awards.

Alison Bell Rainey

Alison Bell Rainey is a senior media specialist with ß÷ßäÉçÇø

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