LEONARDTOWN, Md. (June 27, 2010) - For the second consecutive year, St. Mary's Hospital received the 2010 Workplace Excellence, the Health & Wellness Trailblazer and the EcoLeadership awards through the Alliance for Workplace Excellence (AWE).
AWE is a non-profit organization that focuses on making companies in the greater Washington, D.C., area excellent places to work. The awards "highlight businesses that promote professional fulfillment and personal wellness at work, at home and in the community."
St. Mary's was one of 61 businesses that received the Workplace Excellence Award in the region. The hospital, among other things, holds quarterly meetings so associates can ask questions to hospital President Christine R. Wray; hosts quarterly Breakfast with the President events; leads department huddles to discuss time-sensitive information with the hospital's leadership; and offers an array of information such as newsletters, policies and more available to associates.
The hospital was one of 34 businesses that received the Health & Wellness Trailblazer Award. St. Mary's Hospital offers Employee Health services with a nurse practitioner or registered nurse available to see associates; free smoking/tobacco cessation medication for associates; and a "We CARE About Your Health" wellness program for associates, among a long list of other benefits.
The final award, which the hospital was one of 22 to receive, is the EcoLeadership Award, for companies that "recognize the importance of environmental sustainability." The hospital, under the guidance of the Green Team, operates a large-scale recycling program; uses eco-friendly cleaning products, biodegradable cups and containers in the cafeteria that turn back into dirt in 45 days; and changed over to lower wattage, energy-efficient light bulbs. The hospital has also reduced water usage by restructuring the linen and laundry program; implemented a permanent underground stormwater management system to filter sediments out of run-off water in the parking lot; and has made other building adjustments to be responsible.
Hospital representatives officially received the awards at the Alliance for Workplace Excellence's Annual Awards Luncheon in Bethesda, Maryland, on June 1.
Source: SMH