Montreal, August 21, 2007 - The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) has partnered with the city on the First Strategic Sustainable Development Plan for the Montreal Community, thus becoming the first healthcare centre to commit to helping bring to life the plan’s guiding principles. The imminent hiring of an environment management system (EMS) coordinator to operationalize the MUHC’s environmental policy will help lead the efforts.

“As a public institution, we recognize we have a role to play in ensuring the sustainable development of the city,” stated Dr. Arthur T. Porter, MUHC Director General and CEO. “By taking steps to adopt best practices in this area, the MUHC hopes to encourage a positive domino effect.”

As the city’s partner for its sustainable development plan (2007-09 phase), the MUHC will:

• Ensure the new car idling law is respected on its sites;
• mplement measures to encourage active and public transport (walk, bike, carpool, metro, bus, train);
• Promote a clean and calm environment at its hospitals;
• Take action to reduce and recycle waste materials;
• Implement potable water-saving measures;
• Improve the energy performance of its buildings;
• Integrate sustainable development into management practices; and
• Participate in major environmental events to help mobilize the community.

“Our Environment Committee is developing an action plan for the next year that includes the implementation of an environment management system based on the ISO 14001 standard, improved waste management in general, expansion of our recycling programme to include a wider range of materials than are currently recycled, and further reductions in potable water consumption,” stated Cathy Ann Barr, MUHC Environment Committee Co-chair. “Already, we’ve a host of voluntary initiatives underway or to come.”

• The MUHC is partnering with the Agence de santé et services sociaux de Montréal and the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention (C2P2) to provide Environmental Management System training to several Montreal-area hospitals this fall.
• In May 2007 and March 2006, the Royal Victoria and Montreal General became the first hospitals in Canada to be certified Go Green Plus and Go Green by BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association). Other MUHC sites are on target for certification. The BOMA Go Green Environmental Certification programme is voluntary and designed for existing or occupied buildings. Its goal is to recognize buildings where environmental best practices have been implemented into operations.
• The future Glen and Mountain campuses are LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) candidates. Already the LEED® criteria for the environmental remediation of the Glen Campus have been met. LEED® certification distinguishes building projects that have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability by meeting higher performance standards in environmental responsibility and energy efficiency.
• In January 2007, the MUHC became the first Quebec member of Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) because it shares H2E’s vision of a healthcare system that recognizes the link between operational decisions and health outcomes. The H2E programme has currently 1,390 partners representing 7,748 healthcare facilities, including 1,687 hospitals, 3,819 clinics, 1,196 nursing homes and 1,046 other types of facilities.

“The MUHC is at a very exciting juncture. Once our full-time EMS coordinator is in place, we expect to make significant progress in reducing the MUHC’s environmental footprint,” concluded Cathy Ann Barr.

About the MUHC Redevelopment Project
Guided by its mission and its role as the nerve centre of the McGill integrated university hospital network, the MUHC is carrying out a $1.579-billion Redevelopment Project that will help the Government achieve its vision for academic medicine in Quebec. Excellence in patient care, research, education and technology assessment will be fostered on two state-of-art campuses—The Mountain and the Glen—and through strong relationships with healthcare partners. Each LEED®-registered campus will be designed to provide patients and their families with “The Best Care For Life” in a healing environment that is anchored in best sustainable development practices, including BOMA Go Green guidelines. www.muhc.ca/construction [1]

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a comprehensive academic health institution with an international reputation for excellence in clinical programs, research and teaching. The MUHC is a merger of five teaching hospitals affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University––the Montreal Children’s, Montreal General, Royal Victoria, and Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, as well as the Montreal Chest Institute. Building on the tradition of medical leadership of the founding hospitals, the goal of the MUHC is to provide patient care based on the most advanced knowledge in the health care field, and to contribute to the development of new knowledge. www.muhc.ca [2]