Southern Ohio Medical Center is proud to announce it has received the Environmental Excellence Award from Stryker’s Sustainability Solutions. This designation is reserved for select hospitals that demonstrate outstanding leadership in healthcare sustainability and overall hospital quality through single-use device (SUD) reprocessing.  

In 2023, Southern Ohio Medical Center’s reprocessing program successfully diverted 4,496 pounds of medical waste from landfills and reduced its supply costs by $95,474. 

“Stryker is pleased to honor Southern Ohio Medical Center’s continued dedication to achieving both environmental and financial sustainability,” said Natalie Ward, Vice President/General Manager of Stryker’s Sustainability Solutions. “With a heightened focus on improving value in today’s healthcare environment, Southern Ohio Medical Center’s leads by example with their commitment to sustainability initiatives that reduce costs and optimize resources in order to support quality care.”

Leading hospitals across the nation are continuing to pursue initiatives to reduce the environmental footprint of healthcare delivery. Among these initiatives, SUD reprocessing stands out as an environmental practice that not only dramatically reduces the amount of medical waste, but at the same time frees significant resources for the hospital – all without capital investment. 

Southern Ohio Medical Center’s is in the distinguished company of other leading hospitals that are implementing reprocessing programs. In fact, reprocessing programs are currently employed by nearly all the U.S. News & World Report “Honor Roll” hospitals.