Award validates hospital’s sustainability programme

Markham Stouffville Hospital (MSH) may not be the newest hospital in Ontario, but it’s on track to become one of the most environmentally friendly. Comprised of three sites, totalling over one million square feet in size, the community healthcare facility has a progressive greening and sustainability programme, which earned it this year’s (2018) Wayne McLellan Award of Excellence in Healthcare Facilities Management. (This CHES award recognises facilities that have had outstanding success in the completion of a major capital project, an energy efficiency or environmental stewardship programme, or in a teambuilding exercise). 

“I couldn’t be happier,” said MSH plant Maintenance manager Allan Kelly, who, along with Vice-president of support services and transformation, Elena Pacheco, accepted the award on behalf of MSH. “Everyone is very proud of the measures the hospital has taken to improve sustainability, and this award really validates the efforts being made.”

Since opening its doors in 1990, MSH has steadily raised its environmental performance and reduced energy, water, and waste costs, while maintaining or exceeding high quality patient care. Some of its green initiatives leading up to the award win include: rescheduling more than 40 air-handling units to meet occupancy needs, resulting in more than 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of power savings; retrofitting the hallway and corridors in two buildings with LED lights – which has resulted in 204,791 kilowatt hours (kWh) in energy savings, and conducting a steam trap audit and changing out more than 30 defective traps, producing  a saving of 94,146 cubic metres of gas.