Ohio Hospital Wins National Award for Clean Energy Gains

OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital just achieved something remarkable: it earned the highest sustainability honor given to hospitals in America, joining an elite group of just 70 facilities recognized this year.

The Ohio hospital received the Energy to Care Sustainability Champions Award from the American Society for Health Care Engineering, part of the American Hospital Association. Out of nearly 5,000 participating facilities nationwide, only 1.4% earned this top distinction in 2026.

To qualify for the award, hospitals must maintain an Energy Star score of 75 or higher, track their energy and water use carefully, publish sustainability goals, and employ dedicated staff to reduce their environmental footprint. OhioHealth Mansfield met every requirement.

The hospital also earned a second award: the Sustained Performance Award, recognizing facilities that don't just make improvements once but keep reducing emissions year after year. Only 6.6% of participating hospitals nationwide earned this honor.

Hospital staff achieved these results through practical upgrades to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. They optimized control sequences and adjusted scheduling to waste less energy without compromising patient care.

The Ripple Effect

The impact extends far beyond one hospital in Ohio. Since the Energy to Care program launched in 2006, participating healthcare facilities have saved more than $550 million through energy efficiency.

Those savings get redirected straight back to patient care, meaning cleaner operations actually help hospitals serve their communities better. Every dollar saved on wasted energy becomes a dollar available for medical equipment, staff, or patient services.

Austin Wallace, sustainability senior specialist at ASHE, praised the achievement: "OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to reducing health care's environmental footprint." The hospital now serves as a model for thousands of other healthcare facilities working toward similar goals.

Healthcare facilities nationwide are proving that caring for patients and caring for the planet aren't competing priorities but complementary ones.