Christian Community Service

Founded in 1945, New Hampshire Catholic Charities is a private, nonprofit organization that serves low-income individuals and families. The organization offers advocacy and resettlement services for refugees and immigrants. It features referral, outreach and aftercare programs. New Hampshire Catholic Charities conducts assessment and education sessions for parents, as well as prenatal care and childbirth education classes. In addition, it offers vocational training and employment services. New Hampshire Catholic Charities operates several rehabilitation and nursing centers that provide physical and psychological diagnosis and treatment services for senior citizens. The organization offers assistance with issues related to depression, stress, anxiety and family conflicts. Located in Manchester, N.H. it also operates a residential facility for abused and neglected children.

"If H2E is going to meet its waste reduction goals of 50 percent by 2010 and its goal of virtual elimination of mercury by 2005, we need to throw the net far and wide in the health care industry, and our Champions for Change award winners are excelling in that effort, " said H2E coordinator Laura Brannon.The New Hampshire Hospital Association actively promotes the concepts of waste reduction, pollution prevention and energy efficiency to New Hampshire hospitals. NHHA communicates environmental news and resources through "STAT Green, " a quarterly environmental newsletter, and its Web site, www.nhha.org. It recently established the New Hampshire Hospitals for a Healthy Environment network, whose primary goal is to reduce both the volume and toxicity of hospital waste and to advance the goals of H2E. Additionally, NHHA provides environmental education programs. This June, NHHA will offer "Reducing Our Ecological Footprint, " a workshop that will present opportunities to minimize health care's environmental impact through improved purchasing and disposal choices."We're proud to be recognized for our environmental improvement efforts." said Debbie Augustine, environmental affairs coordinator at NHHA. "Our involvement in H2E reflects our belief that one critical way to promote the health of our communities is to protect the environment we all share."NHHA was one of 11 organizations in the U.S. chosen to receive the Champion's for Change Award at the First Annual H2E Environmental Leadership Awards Ceremony on April 8th at the annual meeting of the American Hospital Association in Washington, DC.