Tuality Healthcare wins award

"Tuality's employees and volunteers care about the community and actively work toward achieving its mission of building a healthier community by making sustainability a priority." -- Steve Krautscheid, ancillary services administrator

Tuality Healthcare of Hillsboro has been awarded the Washington County Solid Waste & Recycling Program's Recycle at Work Award for its dedication to reducing its environmental impact. The community hospital is being recognized for reducing waste, reducing energy consumption, controlling water run-off and providing alternative transportation access.

Tuality Healthcare has been a member of the Hillsboro community for nearly a century. Its downtown Hillsboro campus also provides space for Pacific University, Portland Community College, Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center and the City of Hillsboro. It also participated in the development of the Hillsboro Intermodal Transit Facility in collaboration with the City and Pacific University.

Materials management

Tuality Healthcare manages its waste by preventing it in the first place, finding opportunities for reuse, collecting material for recycling and seeking outlets to recycle items that aren't accepted in curbside commercial programs.

The hospital prevents waste by:

• Planning meals carefully to avoid making too much food.
• Distributing its employee newsletter to an electronic format - saving over $80,000 annually in printing costs.
• Using electronic medical records and electronic security forms to reduce paper waste.
• Offering employees and volunteers discounts on beverage items when durable containers are used.

Tuality Healthcare also takes many steps to find ways to reuse its waste materials. It donates used building materials, furniture and light fixtures to the Washington County Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Surplus medical equipment and products are donated to Virginia Garcia Memorial Health clinics, local schools and to hospitals in other countries. And the hospital donates blankets, coats, gloves, socks and other clothing items to local homeless shelters.

Tuality Healthcare provides all patrons access to basic mixed recycling, including paper, plastic bottles and tubs and metal cans. The hospital also finds recycling outlets for its medical plastics, packaging waste and Styrofoam.

Energy savings

The large institution takes steps to reduce energy use in collaboration with Energy Trust of Oregon by making improvements and increasing efficiencies. Some of the steps include:

• Installing internal motion-detection lighting and programmable thermostats.
• Installing external energy-efficient lighting in the hospital's parking structure and warehouse.
• Connecting a chiller from one building to another, eliminating the need for a second one.
• Changing lighting to low-energy LED.
• Producing 90 percent of the parking facility's annual energy needs with 60 kilowatt roof-top solar panels.

Water conservation

Tuality Healthcare manages its water run-off with sidewalks and an alley that are designed to allow rainwater to slowly pass through to the ground below. Native plants and a rain-garden also help conserve and retain water on site.

Transportation options

Lastly, Tuality Healthcare tries to provide access to several modes of transportation. Thirteen of the 800 parking stalls at the Hillsboro Intermodal Transit Facility have electrical vehicle charging stations. TriMet operates the MAX light rail only one block away. And the facility is equipped with Bikestation Hillsboro, the area's first bicycle commuter station that includes showers, lockers and changing areas.