Press Room
Press Release
Consorta Receives Practice Greenhealth Champion for Change Award
for Sixth Consecutive Year
Schaumburg, Ill., May 19, 2009 - Consorta, a
leading healthcare group purchasing and resource management
organization, today received the Practice Greenhealth Champion for
Change Award for outstanding contributions to environmentally
responsible healthcare. Consorta was presented the award at the
Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards, held in
conjunction with CleanMed 2009, the premier Global Conference on
Environmentally Sustainable Health Care.
Consorta was recognized for its continuous support of the goals of
Practice Greenhealth. Practice Greenhealth is a landmark initiative
to improve the environmental performance of the healthcare industry.
This is the sixth consecutive year Consorta has been recognized for
its ongoing successful efforts to help its member healthcare
facilities reduce their collective impact on the environment and
improve the health of the communities they serve.
Consorta has long been the leader in environmentally preferable
purchasing and receiving this award for the sixth consecutive year
affirms the leadership role Consorta has taken in greening
healthcare, said Darrel Weatherford, president and CEO of Consorta.
Consorta was the first in the healthcare group purchasing industry
to introduce a searchable database of environmentally preferable
products. Plus, we continue to work closely with suppliers to
educate them on the need to eliminate potentially dangerous content
from the manufacturing process, as well as work toward good waste
minimization practices.
Laura Wenger, Director of Clinical Integration for Consorta, Inc,
who oversees the organization's environmental initiatives, added,
Consorta continues to work to find environmentally-friendly
alternatives for our members through advocacy, education,
contracting disclosures, and the development of environmentally
preferred purchasing and chemical policies. We are also closely
working with HealthTrust Purchasing Group to promote environmental
purchasing in our combined portfolio for the future. In addition,
Consorta has joined and become an active member of the Global Health
and Safety Initiative collaborating with other GPOs and large IDNs
on various national environmental initiatives. says Wenger.
This award is a reflection of Consorta's commitment to their
membership and the communities they serve to protect patient health
and preserve the environment, said Bob Jarboe, Executive Director,
Practice Greenhealth. It is exciting to know that Consorta is
leading this effort and setting an example for other institutions.
"Consorta is honored to receive this most prestigious award because
it is reflective of our mission and our member's strong commitment
to environmentally preferred purchasing," added Weatherford.
"Organizationally, we believe it is our duty and responsibility to
our members to hold suppliers accountable for the content of their
products in order to ensure that the safety and quality of products
and services meet the needs of patients, clinicians and communities
that we serve."
About Consorta
Consorta, based in suburban Chicago, is a leading healthcare
resource management and group purchasing organization (GPO) whose
shareholders are faith-based or non-profit health systems.
Consorta's 11 shareholder healthcare systems represent 50 percent of
all Catholic hospitals in the United States, and are among the
leading integrators of non-profit healthcare in America. Consorta's
membership now encompasses more than 3,280 care sites, including
more than 530 acute and over 250 extended care facilities throughout
the country. Through its Advantage Program, Consorta provides
contract purchasing power for some of the nation's leading
non-profit organizations. As an equity owner in HealthTrust
Purchasing Group, the nation's third largest GPO with over 1,300
not-for-profit and for-profit acute care hospitals well as over
3,000 ambulatory surgery centers, alternate care sites and physician
practices, Consorta provides increasing levels of supply chain value
to our shareholders and members.
Press Contact:
Kevin Conway
kconway@consorta.com
847-592-7979