Newswise — Hackensack Meridian Health is pleased to announce its recognition by the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) as an Environmental Leadership Champion for 2019.

“I want to congratulate our team members on this significant recognition,” said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. “We consider it our shared responsibility to consistently raise the bar on our sustainability initiatives and environmental stewardship.”

The Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) and its flagship publication, COMMERCE Magazine, celebrated environmental leadership in the business community at a special awards breakfast this week – CIANJ’s first annual event of its kind.

"We have long been dedicated to exploring and highlighting the vital link between human health and the environment, for our immediate community and beyond," said Deirdre Imus, founder and president of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center. "This recognition is a direct result of our careful, committed work protecting the well-being of our children, as we show them the value of creating and supporting a healthy environment."

CIANJ President Anthony Russo said it was meant to showcase extraordinary environmental work done throughout New Jersey. “CIANJ has a long history in the environmental industry and we wanted to honor the leaders for their accomplishments and dedication,” he said.

CIANJ and its flagship publication COMMERCE Magazine honored an array of companies for their environmental leadership in recycling, pollution prevention, green building design, environmental conservation, energy conservation, community impact, manufacturing innovation, and brownfield redevelopment.

“We are honored to receive this recognition and thank all of our team members for their steadfast commitment,” said Kyle Tafuri, director of Sustainability at Hackensack Meridian Health. “With courage, compassion, creativity, and collaboration, they continue to create a healthier environment for our patients, our team members, and the communities we serve.”

The honorees, chosen from nominations submitted to the magazine by CIANJ members and the business community at-large, received trophies made from recycled materials.

 

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which include three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children’s hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.

Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 34,100 team members, and 6,500 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The network’s notable distinctions include having four hospitals among the top 10 in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and being named to Becker’s Healthcare’s “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2018” list.

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.

 

About the Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center

The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center at Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center represents one of the first hospital-based programs whose specific mission is to identify, control and ultimately prevent toxic exposures in the environment that threaten our children's health. We accomplish our mission through education, research and implementation.  Since 2001, we have helped Hackensack University Medical Center become one of the first hospitals in the country to implement green cleaning practices, which was just the beginning of their sustainable journey – and ours. Since then, we’ve helped the hospital reduce waste, minimize the use of hazardous materials, limit patient and employee exposure to dangerous toxins, prevent pollution, serve healthier foods, and more.  The Center’s Sustainability program is strategically aligned with the overall mission of the medical center; to create a healthier environment for our patients, team members and community.  This program has resulted in national recognition for Hackensack University Medical Center as a leader in healthcare sustainability. For the past six consecutive years, Hackensack University Medical Center has earned the Top 25 Environmental Excellence Award from Practice Greenhealth and for the past four consecutive years, the medical center has earned the 50 Greenest Hospitals Award by Becker’s Hospital Review.