Boston Honors Health Care Without Harm With 2012 Mayoral Prize in Primary Care

By Eileen Secrest
Published October 12, 2012
Health Care Without Harm Press Release

Boston, MA — Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) has been presented with the 2012 Mayoral Prize for Innovations in Pulmonary Care from the city of Boston, MA. HCWH was honored for its work to foster healthier food and workplace environments in Boston area hospitals. The presentation was made on October 12 by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who was joined by Dr. Paula Johnson, chair of the board of the Boston Public Health Commission, to present awards to HCWH and two other recipients. Now in its third year, the award raises awareness about best practices for improving the delivery of primary care services in healthcare, community-based, and workplace settings.

“Some of Boston’s greatest assets are our world-renowned health care institutions. Part of being a leader means highlighting the great work that goes on in our city as a model for others to see.” “Some of Boston’s greatest assets are our world-renowned health care institutions. Part of being a leader means highlighting the great work that goes on in our city as a model for others to see,” Mayor Menino said. “I’m constantly impressed by the innovative work that organizations of all sizes are able to accomplish, and this year’s winners champion that spirit of ingenuity. These awards strive to show that prevention is primary care, whether it’s in the doctor’s office, the workplace, or the community.”

Health Care Without Harm was honored for its Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI), that focuses in part on improving the food and beverage environment within hospitals, places that touch hundreds of thousands of lives in Boston every year. All major teaching hospitals in the city joined a Healthy Beverage Learning Network in 2010 that was co-led by Health Care Without Harm. Just two years later, all ten of these hospitals have made progress toward increasing consumption of healthier beverages by hospital staff, patients, and visitors. The initiative is now being scaled nationwide, as hundreds of hospitals and food service contractors have begun to view food production and distribution through the lens of preventative medicine by support sustainable agriculture in the communities that it serves. Partners HealthCare, Inc, Boston’s leading employer, is one of the 11 health system founders of HHI.

Continue reading full press release at Health Care Without Harm