Monument Health Receives Stryker Gold Environmental Excellence Award

Monument Health Rapid City Hospital received the Stryker Gold Environmental Excellence Award in recognition of sustainability efforts. To earn this award, Monument Health caregivers identified and recycled 13 tons of single-use medical equipment.

Stryker, a medical technology company, manufactures and sells surgical and medical equipment used across the healthcare field. At Monument Health, ultrasonic scalpels, ligatures, EP catheters and ECG leads were recycled and sent to Stryker Sustainability Solutions for reprocessing and remanufacturing, rather than going to a landfill. 

Throughout 2022, Monument Health caregivers recycled more than 26,000 pounds of medical equipment. Once recaptured items are processed or remanufactured and quality tested, they may be repurchased at lower costs resulting in savings and reduced waste. By working with Stryker and committing to purchasing recycled materials, Monument Health saved more than $426,000 in 2022.

Jace Brock, a buyer at Monument Health, coordinated the partnership with Stryker contributing to the award. He says sustainability is a passion and this partnership is just one of Monument Health’s many sustainability initiatives. He notes looking at the recycled objects illustrates the scope of the project. “These are not large objects so it demonstrates just how much is being kept out of landfills. These items add up to more than 25,000 pounds.” He credits widespread cooperation throughout the hospital for being able to capture and divert that much waste.