Wright-Patterson Medical Center receives Ohio Hospital Association award Published June 15, 2016 By Mary H. Allen 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) recognized the Wright-Patterson Medical Center as the 2016 John Chapman Award winner during their annual meeting June 14 in Columbus. The Medical Center earned the award by implementing and initiating numerous energy and natural resources conservation and waste reduction programs throughout the center. "The Medical Center is committed to promoting greener practices to ensure the environment is sustainable throughout our campus," said Eric Andrews, Deputy Facility Manager at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Medical Center. The primary environmental programs the Medical Center focuses on are air, water, hazardous material, hazardous waste and municipal solid waste, Andrews said. For greener energy, the entire Medical Center updated their electronic light ballasts to lower their energy light tubes and the lighting in their parking lot was replaced with LED lighting. The Medical Center was recognized last year, by recycling over 400 tons of cardboard and shredded 35 tons of sensitive and 42 tons of non-sensitive paper products. For their pharmaceutical program, they installed two "Medsafe" drug return kiosks for patients and staff to dispose of unwanted drugs, averaging collections of 70 pounds per month. During the Gateway to Healthcare III renovation, energy components and systems upgrades were implemented. "There were several air handling units, air distribution systems, and air return fans upgraded," said Andrews. The OHA's John Chapman Award recognizes a hospital or health system which initiates or supports pollution prevention programs. The OHA represents 220 hospitals and 13 health systems throughout Ohio. The award is named after "Johnny Appleseed" who planted apple trees across the Midwest in the 19th Century.