SBUH Ranked in Top 25 Nationally for Work in Environmental Excellence

Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) has been named one of the Top 25 Hospitals in the country for its work pursuing environmental excellence. Based on a rigorous scoring system, this award honors success and performance in a range of sustainability programs including leadership, waste, chemicals, greening the operating room, food, sustainable procurement, energy, water, climate, transportation and green building. As Practice Greenhealth’s highest honor for the Partner for Change application, this award recognizes the best of the best in healthcare environmental sustainability.  

Additionally, SBUH’s multi-disciplinary efforts on reducing its environmental footprint in various impact areas have resulted in earning the recognition of Circles of Excellence in Chemicals, Sustainable Procurement, Energy, and Green Building. The Circles of Excellence Awards honor the 10 highest-performing hospitals in each area of sustainability impact.

“Our sustainability successes come from many passionate employees working to make our hospital a leader in providing world class healthcare, while ensuring our resources are used efficiently to minimize our impact on the environment,” said Carol Gomes, chief executive officer, Stony Brook University Hospital. “I’m incredibly proud of the Stony Brook Medicine faculty and staff for their continued dedication and hard work in advancing environmental excellence within healthcare.”

Some of SBUH’s success over the last year include:

• Significant reductions in the use of the anesthetic desflurane
• Significant reductions in regulated medical waste generation
• Expansion of reprocessing and sustainable purchasing programs
• Reduction in total waste per patient day
• Expansion of the impact of the Food Farmacy program and the Stony Brook Heights micro-farm that distributes food to food-insecure community members
• Elimination of the central nitrous oxide system at the Ambulatory Surgery Center
• Several physical plant and capital projects that reduce energy use, including the very visible Curtain Wall project and less visible infrastructure projects

Practice Greenhealth is the leading sustainable healthcare organization, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,700 hospitals and health systems in the United States and Canada. 

To learn more about Stony Brook Medicine’s sustainability efforts, visit stonybrookmedicine.edu/sustainability.