The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce has selected Baptist Health South Florida as a winner of its inaugural Sustainable South Florida Awards for environmentally friendly practices.
Award-winning strategies at Baptist Health include waste management and recycling, “green” printing, energy conservation and reducing the use of paper and plastic. Eco-friendly building projects include West Kendall Baptist Hospital, now under construction at SW 96 Street and SW 162 Avenue. It will be one of the first acute care hospitals in the region to incorporate Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards in construction for environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Baptist Health's commitment to "green" practices extends to its vendors, the South Florida community and the organization's 13,000 employees, who received reusable cloth shopping bags and tips for eco-friendly living on Earth Day this year. Other outreach activities include "green" training sessions for employees, educational fairs and a recycled art contest.
“Healthy people depend on a healthy environment,” said Brian E. Keeley, Baptist Health president and CEO, who has supported energy-efficient and environment-friendly policies at the organization since 1972.
“We appreciate the Chamber’s work to promote sustainable business practices, and we are committed to system-wide green initiatives as a means to improve community health," said George Foyo, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Baptist Health.
Nearly 100 companies, not-for-profit organizations and local governments in the tri-county region entered the Chamber’s green awards program. At the ceremony, City of Miami Mayor Manuel “Manny” A. Diaz received the Green Visionary award.
Baptist Health is the region’s largest not-for-profit healthcare organization. It includes Baptist, Baptist Children’s, Doctors, Homestead, Mariners and South Miami Hospitals as well as Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, Baptist Outpatient Services, Baptist Health Enterprises and Baptist Health Foundation.