April 1, 2015
Novant Health is a not-for-profit integrated system of seven philanthropic foundations, 15 medical centers and 1,200 doctors in 350 clinic locations, as well as numerous outpatient surgery centers, medical plazas, rehabilitation programs, diagnostic imaging centers and community health outreach programs. Novant Health’s over 26,000 employees and physician partners care for patients and communities in North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia, with the company headquarters in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Novant was formed in July 1997 by the merger of Carolina Medicorp of Winston-Salem and Presbyterian Health Services of Charlotte. Novant Health’s new system-wide brand launched April 17, 2013.
Novant Health has been benchmarking its facilities and educating its staff about its sustainability goals since 2005. The company aims to meet the needs of its communities without impact, a goal parallel to its mission of sustaining the health of the community. In a two-pronged sustainability initiative in 2008, Novant created an Environmental Responsibility Statement focused on the three Rs —reduce, reuse, recycle— and overall sustainability; and set system-wide ENERGY STAR rating goals aiming to be in the top 25 percent of the industry.
The company publishes “tips” in the employee newsletter to help staff learn about Novant’s efforts, changed from incandescent to fluorescent bulbs to save energy, and recycles those old bulbs in its own recycling center, even though local landfills will accept them. New construction projects are designed with the ENERGY STAR goals, as well as lessons learned from previously constructed hospitals, in mind. Novant opened its first three hospitals to meet ENERGY STAR requirements in 2010, and also upgraded hospitals that had previously reported poor energy efficiency results.
