Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Earns New Joint Fee Sustainability Award
With assist from Compass One Healthcare, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab has reached one other milestone in its dedication to environmental stewardship.
The Chicago-based rehabilitation hospital, famend for treating sufferers with stroke, spinal twine, and mind accidents, has earned The Joint Fee’s new Sustainability Healthcare Certification. It’s the first hospital in Illinois, and the primary rehabilitation hospital within the nation, to realize this recognition.
On the heart of this effort is Lamar Davis, Normal Supervisor of Compass One Healthcare at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Referred to as the hospital’s “sustainability guru,” Davis has overseen sustainability initiatives because the facility opened eight years in the past. He coordinates efforts throughout Compass One’s service strains, together with Environmental Companies, Meals and Diet Companies, Services Administration, and Scientific Engineering.
“Lots of the sustainability packages within the Compass One portfolio served because the spine for our shopper’s success in reaching this certification,” mentioned Carter Berry, Regional Director of Operations. “Lamar has in depth information of those packages and labored intently with the hospital’s management to perform every thing wanted to realize certification.”
Serving to the Shopper Obtain Sustainability
From the hospital’s opening in 2017, sustainability has been a core worth. Early efforts included measuring CO2 emissions and setting benchmarks to information long-term enhancements. Since then, vitality use, carbon emissions, and waste technology have considerably decreased. Recycling continues to broaden, and management is exploring renewable vitality choices, together with wind and solar energy.
When The Joint Fee introduced its new sustainability certification program in January 2024, Davis instantly noticed a possibility.
“We’ve had a sustainability program because the hospital opened, and this certification helped us take a recent take a look at our efforts and make them even stronger,” he mentioned.
With approval from hospital management, Davis led the work of compiling knowledge, drafting a Sustainability Strategic Plan and Operations Plan, and guiding each by board evaluation. Certification was finalized in January 2025.
Extra Enhancements Forward
Wanting ahead, Davis and his crew are dedicated to lowering CO2 emissions by 3–5% by 2030. Every service line has set particular objectives to assist this work:
- Environmental Companies: Enhance recycling by 5% by workers schooling, compliance audits, and focused reminders.
- Meals Companies: Launch hospital-wide composting and prepare nursing workers to divert affected person meals waste from the overall trash.
- Scientific Engineering: Improve battery recycling with workers coaching, trash audits, and an IT partnership for correct disposal.
- Services Administration: Cut back vitality use by 2% (stretch purpose: 5%) by utility monitoring, new applied sciences, and nighttime setbacks at off-site services.
Assembly Lengthy-Time period Targets
These steps will transfer the hospital nearer to its overarching purpose: lowering its carbon footprint by 40% by 2030. Plans embrace lowering vitality consumption by 15%, doubling recycling charges from 20% to 40%, and growing using renewable vitality sources.
The certification is legitimate by 2027, at which era The Joint Fee will evaluation progress towards these objectives.
“We’re at all times proud to assist the hospital obtain success and be acknowledged as a frontrunner,” Berry mentioned. “With Lamar working intently with senior management, we’ll proceed constructing a sustainability program that may function a mannequin for different hospitals.”
