Fort HealthCare Foundation Awards Grant for Green Activity

Fort HealthCare is expanding efforts to operate in an environmentally sustainable way, courtesy of a Health Care Innovation grant awarded by the Fort Memorial Hospital Foundation.

“Sustainability, in this context, means operating in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” remarked Margaret Martin, Fort HealthCare’s part-time sustainability coordinator. This grant will assist hospital and clinic staff in continuing to meet the needs of patients while placing a minimized burden on resources.

“The staff at Fort HealthCare have a lot of ideas to change the organization’s consumption and waste creation practices,” continued Martin.

Fort HealthCare virtually eliminated the presence of mercury in its facilities years ago and is now focusing on reducing the quantity and toxicity of waste, minimizing use and exposure to hazardous chemicals and increasing resource conservation. The grant will allow for additional sustainability practices, such as a large supply of recycling bins and the purchase of daylight sensor switches. The switches will reduce energy use by keeping lights off when sunlight is adequate.

For more information on Fort HealthCare’s sustainability program, contact Margaret Martin at (920) 568-5154.