Apply for Partner for Change

Eligibility Guidelines

• Membership. Applicants must be a member of Practice Greenhealth to apply for an award. To become a member, visit www.practicegreenhealth.org/join or contact Stan Cahill, Senior Director of Membership Development, 866-598-2050.
• EPA Compliance. Applicants must be in compliance with all pertinent EPA regulations for the last 12 months. Facilities that submit excellent applications but have a significant violation – whether known or unknown – will be disqualified. Know your compliance history. Contact Lin Hill, Awards Coordinator, at 866-998-9973 if you had a minor violation that has since been resolved and you feel your application should still be considered. Written documentation is required.
• Partner for Change Award requires a 10% recycling rate of your total waste stream, a mercury elimination plan, and other successful pollution prevention programs.
• Making Medicine Mercury-Free Award is a one-time award given to facilities that have made the significant and noteworthy step of becoming virtually “mercury-free.” It requires completing the entire checklist in Section IV of this application and showing progress in each question.
• Environmental Leadership Circle members are leading innovation in healthcare today. Recipients of this award are chosen from the top Partner for Change applicants and at the discretion of the Practice Greenhealth awards review team. Inductees have integrated sustainable environmental programs into their core mission and have demonstrated a dedication to the health of patients, workers, communities, and the global environment. The minimum requirements to qualify for this award are a 25% recycling rate of your total waste stream, the virtual elimination of mercury, significant progress in environmental programs, and demonstration of leadership. Applicants should describe a project in each of the categories in this application. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee receipt of this award.

Application Guidelines

• Completeness. You must attach documentation and provide a few sentences of explanation where requested or your application will be considered incomplete. Please be sure your supporting documents are relevant to the questions asked and label appropriately.
• Corporate Policies. If you are using corporate health system policies, please attach policies and describe how these policies are being implemented at your facility.
• History. If you’ve previously applied for and received any award, please only include the work you’ve done since your last award application. We are looking for incremental improvements.
• Evaluation. All award decisions will be made based solely on the merits of the information provided in the award application.
• Property Rights. Award application materials become the property of Practice Greenhealth—they will not be returned.

How to Apply

• Due Date. Applications must be received electronically no later than February 9, 2009. Incomplete or late award applications will not be considered for this award cycle.
• Attachments. Supporting documentation refers to policies, training programs, tracking forms, posters, and other relevant documents that add to the value of your application and could serve as a model for other members. We discourage the use of electronic presentations and meeting minutes as supporting documentation.
• Signatures. The person submitting this application must sign off on the Statement of Accuracy. We also strongly encourage your CEO or upper management representative to sign off on this application. Electronic signatures are acceptable or you may scan or fax (866-379-8705) the signed statement.
• Submitting your Application. The Primary Contact at each member organization has access to their online Org Profile (you must first be logged in to the Practice Greenhealth website). Once you are in the profile, click on the Awards link and then Add an Application. Select the award year, type, and enter a name for your application and click Start Application. You will then be able to Upload your application and supporting documents. Your information will be saved as you go and you can return to this page to add/edit/delete documents. Once your application and documents are complete, click Submit. Once you hit Submit, you will not be able to edit your application.

If you are not the primary contact for your organization or are having difficulties uploading your award application, please contact Julie Taylor at 866-998-6888 for assistance.

Download Application

Questions?

If you have any questions about the award applications, about the awards process, or need help determining which application is right for you, please contact Lin Hill, Awards Coordinator, at 866-998-9973.