Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, BETHESDA, MD  –   For the third consecutive year, Practice Greenhealth, a leading voice in sustainability in health care, recognized Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for its environmental stewardship and efficiency.

Walter Reed again earned the Greenhealth Partner for Change Award for continuous improvement in areas including mercury elimination, waste reduction and recycling, regulated medical waste reduction, and the development of robust environmental programs.

“Climate change, environmental degradation, and pollution are inextricably linked to health,” said Army Maj. Emad Madha, a surgeon who chaired Walter Reed’s Sustainability Team during the assessment period.

Madha explained that most hospitals are “large, energy-intensive enterprises that generate tons of waste annually.” He added that these factors damage the environment and worsen health outcomes, which is why Walter Reed’s Sustainability Team works hard to prevent negative effects on patients, staff and others.

Madha added that “climate change is affecting health, worsening air quality, changes in patterns of vector-borne diseases, water-related infections, and trauma from extreme weather events like hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires. By decreasing the environmental footprint of the hospital, Walter Reed’s Sustainability Team works to secure a better world for our service members, retirees, their families, and [others],” he said.

The Defense Health Agency Sustainability Policy, DHA-AI 4710.01, establishes sustainability goals and environmental compliance targets for military hospitals and clinics and requires the formation of cross-functional sustainability teams to promote a resource-aware stewardship culture.

Efforts by DHA facilities, such as Walter Reed, to improve its environmental performance and efforts to build sustainability and resilience into its operations and culture, signify “a profound and impactful commitment to a resilient future,” according to Ambrose C. Rosario Jr., who leads DHA’s health care facilities efficiency, environmental compliance, and audit program. “[These facilities] are implementing programs that reduce environmental impact while sustaining mission readiness and exceptional patient care,” he added.

Practice Greenhealth's Partner for Change and Environmental Excellence awards annually acknowledge these efforts.

Walter Reed has a long history of environmental stewardship. President Franklin Roosevelt personally selected the Bethesda site for the original National Naval Medical Center (NNMC), favoring “its rolling green hills and small natural spring-fed pond” with an expectation that the nature site would enhance the delivery of care and healing. Subsequent construction at the medical center sought to preserve this natural environment for better patient outcomes.

When the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) recommendations became law calling for the merger of Walter Reed Army Medical Center and NNMC at Bethesda in 2011, limited construction expansion to preserve green space on the campus and requirements for new buildings to be “green” facilities were included in regulations and policies.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recognized Walter Reed with a 2011 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold award for the medical center’s then newly constructed buildings. USGBC developed the LEED green building rating system providing third-party verification of green buildings to create a “healthier, more sustainable future.”

Current efforts at Walter Reed to enhance patient care and modernization include demolition of old buildings for construction of new ones built in the same space, preserving green space on the base.

For more information about the Practice Greenhealth recognition, visit https://practicegreenhealth.org/