SEATTLE – Virginia Mason announced it is the first hospital in the United States to earn Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for its commitment to serving seafood grown and harvested by certified, environmentally sustainable methods.
“MSC is pleased to be part of Virginia Mason’s commitment to implementing green business practices to support a healthy environment and community,” said Geoff Bolan, region commerical director, Americas. “We hope today’s announcement will serve as an inspiration for other medical centers nationwide to follow Virginia Mason’s bold environmental initiatives in the health care industry.”
MSC-certified seafood is regularly served in the hospital’s cafeteria and it is an in-room menu option for hospitalized patients every day.
“Our Food and Nutrition team members are passionate about protecting ocean resources and reassuring our customers – who are patients, families and staff – that the seafood they are eating is of the highest quality and harvested sustainably,” said Brenna Davis, director of Sustainability at Virginia Mason.
Virginia Mason also serves locally grown organic produce, local grass-fed beef, antibiotic-free chicken, cage-free eggs and rBGH-free dairy products in its cafeteria, food kiosks and patients’ rooms.
The Marine Stewardship Council, an international nonprofit organization working to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis, maintains a widely accepted certification and eco-labeling program for wild-capture fish. Its fisheries standard is based on three principles: health of the stock; impact on the marine ecosystem; and management of the fishery. The MSC Chain of Custody certification awarded Virginia Mason ensures full traceability through the supply chain.
Virginia Mason is designated as one of the 50 Greenest Hospitals in America by Becker’s Hospital Review. Its award-winning EnviroMason initiative empowers team members to reduce their environmental impacts in every aspect of their daily work. Virginia Mason’s robust green programs include recycling, composting, conserving energy, promoting alternative forms of transportation, and donating surplus food from the cafeteria to local food programs that serve individuals in need.
About Virginia Mason
Virginia Mason, founded in 1920, is a nonprofit regional health care system in Seattle that serves the Pacific Northwest. Virginia Mason employs 6,000 people and includes a 336-bed acute-care hospital; a primary and specialty care group practice of more than 460 physicians; regional medical centers throughout the Puget Sound area; and Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled-nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the U.S. designed and built specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS. Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason is internationally recognized for its breakthrough autoimmune disease research. Virginia Mason was the first health system to apply lean manufacturing principles to health care delivery to eliminate waste, lower cost, and improve quality and patient safety.
To learn more about Virginia Mason, please visit Facebook.com/VMcares or follow @VirginiaMason on Twitter. To learn how Virginia Mason is transforming health care and to join the conversation, visit our blog at VirginiaMasonBlog.org.
Source: Virginia Mason Medical Center
