HSHS St. John's Hospital in Springfield and HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham each have been awarded the 2015 Greenhealth Partner for Change Award. The award is given by Practice Greenhealth, the nation's leading health care community that empowers its members to increase their efficiencies and environmental stewardship while improving patient safety and care through tools, best practices and knowledge.

The award is one of the organization's Environmental Excellence Awards given each year to honor outstanding environmental achievements in the health care sector. The Partner for Change Award recognizes health care facilities that continuously improve and expand upon their mercury elimination, waste reduction, recycling and source reduction programs.

At a minimum, facilities applying for this award must be recycling 15 percent of their total waste, have reduced regulated medical waste, are well along the way to mercury elimination, and have developed other successful pollution prevention programs in many different areas.

"This recognition confirms St. John's Hospital's commitment to improving the health of our patients, colleagues and region," said Dr. Charles L. Lucore, president and CEO of St. John's Hospital.

"As a Practice Greenhealth Partner for Change Award winner, St. Anthony's is committed to improving the health of our patients, staff and community as a whole," said Dennis Baker, St. Anthony's director of Facilities Management. "We take pride in our sustainability efforts to lesson our impact on the environment and look forward to working with Practice Greenhealth to continue this work across the country."

The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards were presented May 14 in Portland, Ore., at the CleanMed Conference and Exhibition, the premiere national environmental conference for leaders in health care sustainability.