OHA Earns 2019 Energy Star Partner of the Year Award

Columbus, Ohio - 43215 – The Ohio Hospital Association is proud to announce that it received the 2019 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for its outstanding efforts in energy efficiency program delivery. OHA’s accomplishments will be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 11, 2019.

“This award recognizes the commitment of Ohio hospitals to reduce energy use to improve the environment and reinvest in the communities they serve,” said Mike Abrams, president and CEO, OHA. “Our member hospitals, OHA staff and community partners continue to adopt and advocate for sustainable solutions for hospitals, which are the cornerstones of their communities.”

“I applaud the 2019 ENERGY STAR Award Winners,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Bill Wehrum. “Their innovation and leadership enhance America’s economic competitiveness. Reducing costly energy waste improves air quality and public health while protecting the environment.” 

The ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award recognizes ENERGY STAR partner businesses and organizations in good standing that demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, and commitment to environmental protection through energy efficiency and ENERGY STAR.

The nationally recognized OHA Energy and Sustainability program supports Ohio hospitals’ mission to optimize operating costs to be more environmentally sustainable. Member hospitals have access to services such as ENERGY STAR Benchmarking, advocacy, energy rebates and energy procurement. In 2018, participating members achieved $9.6 million in energy savings, rebates and educational benefits from the program. 

OHA offers participating hospitals access to the energy utilization database, enabling them to benchmark their energy efficiency, track economic and environmental savings, and qualify for an ENERGY STAR certification. Ohio is second in the nation in ENERGY STAR certified hospitals, with 13 OHA member hospitals recognized. As of November 2018, 17 percent of all ENERGY STAR certified hospitals are in Ohio. From 2015 to 2018 Ohio has grown from five to 13 ENERGY STAR certified hospitals which consists of:
  • Adena Greenfield Medical Center (Greenfield) 
  • Barnesville Hospital (Barnesville)
  • Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital (Avon)
  • Firelands Regional Medical Center South Campus (Sandusky)
  • Good Samaritan Hospital – TriHealth (Cincinnati)
  • Mercy Health — St. Rita's Medical Center (Lima)
  • Mercy Health — Tiffin Hospital (Tiffin)
  • Mercy Medical Center (Canton)
  • ProMedica Bay Park Hospital (Oregon)
  • Southern Ohio Medical Center (Portsmouth)
  • Summa Health St. Thomas Hospital (Akron)
  • Summa Health Akron City Hospital (Akron)
  • The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center East Hospital (Columbus)
OHA works with members to obtain electric, natural gas and water usage from the utility companies, after which OHA enters the data leading to an ENERGY STAR score. OHA’s Energy team assists members in maximizing utility rebates to increase their return on investment from energy projects, resulting in cost savings, reduced environmental footprint and a better quality of care. Through utilization of ENERGY STAR tools and the Energy Cup Competition, Ohio hospitals have achieved an aggregate energy reduction of .9 percent. This is 36 percent above the national average hospital reduction in consumption of .66 percent, according to ENERGY STAR.

For a complete list of 2019 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners

About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. 

Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations—including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500 —rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped save American families and businesses nearly 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity with associated reductions of over 3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases. In 2017 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans save $30 billion in energy costs. 

More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: energystar.gov/about and energystar.gov/numbers.

About OHA
Established in 1915, OHA represents 237 hospitals and 13 health systems throughout Ohio that employ 255,000 Ohioans and contribute $29.7 billion to Ohio’s economy along with $5.3 billion in net community benefit. OHA is the nation’s first state hospital association and is recognized nationally for our patient safety and health care quality initiatives and environmental sustainability programs. Guided by a mission to collaborate with member hospitals and health systems to ensure a healthy Ohio, the work of OHA centers on three strategic initiatives: advocacy, economic sustainability, and patient safety and quality. The association founded the OHA Institute for Health Innovation and OHA Solutions hospital staffing program and is a co-founder of the Ohio Health Information Partnership and the Ohio Patient Safety Institute.