Now This Is Leadership!
Friday, November 26, 2010
The electronic mail is from Jeffrey Thompson, CEO of Gundersen Health System inward Wisconsin, to everyone inward the system.
Dear colleagues:
Today nosotros volition brand a big proclamation virtually our liberate energy program. We are accomplishing something no 1 else inward healthcare has done. This is actually a big contend to a greater extent than or less the country. This is a mutual subject for us, only others are amazed. The signal of this annotation is to aid y'all sympathise the why in addition to the how hence it is easier for y'all to sympathise how it fits into our mission in addition to easier for y'all to answer questions.
The accomplishment is we have had several days where nosotros create to a greater extent than liberate energy than nosotros use. Oct 14th was the kickoff solar daytime that nosotros hitting this mark. This agency instead of paying millions inward natural gas in addition to electrical bills nosotros are producing our own. We volition extend this to many to a greater extent than days, in addition to then weeks, in addition to then months. We are using natural gas from landfills in addition to cows, hardwood chips from local sawmills, wind, geothermal wells, in addition to really importantly, conservation.
Why nosotros embarked on this journeying has many parts. We believed:
· it volition decrease the pollution nosotros were producing that adds to the wellness burden of our share in addition to nation,· it volition salve the organisation coin that tin forcefulness out survive spent on patient care, staff salaries, or used to drib dead along our prices down,
· it volition boost our local economy, instead of coal from Wyoming (for electricity) in addition to natural gas from Texas ( for heat) – what nosotros arrive at spend is on local sources
· it helps define us every bit an organization, a potent corporate citizen, concerned virtually the wide wellness in addition to well-being of our region; both physical in addition to economical health.
Where did the coin come upward from to arrive at all this? Funding for our conservation projects came out of our regular operating funds. And it was a corking bargain. We spent $2 1 G m dollars one fourth dimension on conservation in addition to reduced our energy costs by $1.2 1 G m every twelvemonth after; a much amend supply than whatever of our personal saving accounts or checkbooks. For other big projects nosotros took coin out of savings, non the salary or arrive at goodness pool, in addition to used it to invest inward these long term projects. Because of our timing in addition to excogitation nosotros also received xi 1 G m inward province in addition to federal coin that would have got gone somewhere else inward the country if nosotros had non won it.
The effects of this operate (in improver to saving money, decreasing pollution in addition to boosting the local economy) has been increased staff pride, enhanced recruiting, community inspiration, every bit good every bit national in addition to international recognition for Gundersen in addition to La Crosse.
Has this attempt decreased our other of import objectives? The best information would tell our quality, service, in addition to fiscal wellness is every bit expert every bit it has always been.
Are nosotros done? Not yet. There is still enough of waste product y'all tin forcefulness out aid us decrease. We also have got many opportunities to expand our sustainability in addition to waste product administration programs. Beyond that, it is to aid other staff in addition to other communities understand, that a corking healthcare organisation needs to accept tending of patients, their families, in addition to our whole community, in addition to that is what nosotros are trying to arrive at every solar daytime .