Parkview Whitley Hospital employees spearhead major recycling initiative
(Talk of the Town photo provided) Chad Owen and Gail Diedrich, from left above, along with a team of volunteers, spearheaded a new recycling program at Parkview Whitley Hospital.
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Chad Owen, Parkview community hospitals trauma program coordinator, and Gail Diedrich, Parkview Whitley Hospital housekeeping supervisor, were named employees of the month for November for their successful efforts to improve recycling standards at the community hospital.
In September of 2009, Owen proposed that Parkview Whitley Hospital “go green,” and with the COO’s blessing he formed a committee of several co-workers throughout the hospital, which includes Diedrich, to tackle the issue of recycling. The PWH Going Green Team also includes Cory Ness, Tina Atkinson, Laura Myers, Rachel Mullins and Laura Zellner.
Owen discovered unused recycling containers in the hospital for the revamping of the program. The next phase of the project involved educating co-workers at Parkview Whitley Hospital. Following a year of education and careful preparation, Owen and Diedrich placed the recycling containers in strategic locations throughout the hospital.
Diedrich found a local vendor that could meet the hospital’s needs. She also toured the proposed recycling facility to ensure that recyclables would be contained and would not contaminate the community in any way after pickup from the hospital.
The vendor agreed to speak to the PWH kitchen staff, which was the first department to implement the recycling program. That followed with education of the rest of the hospital co-workers, followed by the placement of containers throughout non-patient care areas. To complete the program, containers were eventually placed in public areas as well.