For more than three decades, Pali Momi Medical Center has been focused on caring for the community. Now, the medical center is receiving national recognition for its care of the environment.
Pali Momi is the only medical center in Hawaii to be named as a 2025 Energy to Care Award winner by the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE). This is the second year that Pali Momi has earned the national program’s highest distinction of Sustainability Champion, recognizing health care facilities that demonstrate leadership in reducing its environmental footprint year-round. Out of more than 4,000 eligible facilities, fewer than 2% received the prestigious award.
“At Pali Momi, we’re committed to taking care of our entire community. That includes not only the quality and compassionate care we provide patients every day, but a dedication to help sustain the environment we all share,” said Terence Young, Pali Momi chief executive officer. “This is another way we are working to create a healthier Hawaii.”
Pali Momi has significantly decreased its energy use since sustainability efforts began more than a decade ago. The medical center’s Energy Star score for 2024 increased to 99, which is nearly perfect, from 97 in 2023. Past initiatives include:
- Replacing all original air handling units with energy-efficient fan-wall units.
- Exchanging fluorescent fixtures for LED lighting.
- Automatically increasing chiller and air-handling unit temperatures after hours in appropriate areas.
- Installing new boiler controls, which helped decrease synthetic natural gas use by 75%.
“I am so proud of how our Pali Momi team finds creative ways to reduce our energy use, whether it’s through large initiatives, including replacing our air handling units, or smaller ones, such as our reusable bag exchange and other Green Team initiatives,” said Gloria Brooks, Pali Momi chief operating officer. “Investing in our environmental impact will be beneficial for our community now and for decades to come.”