Baystate Health

Baystate Health (BH) is the parent corporation of an integrated health care system serving over 750,000 people throughout western New England. It includes Baystate Medical Center (BMC) in Springfield, MA, an academic, research and teaching hospital that serves as the western campus of the Tufts University School of Medicine. This 716- bed facility is the only Level 1 trauma center in western Massachusetts and houses one of New England’s busiest emergency departments. Recently named among the 15 top health systems nationally by Thomson Reuters, BH is the largest private employer in western Massachusetts, with over 10,000 employees.

BH has a multi-phase energy reduction master plan. The first phase covered five buildings and affected both electricity and natural gas use. It included using the newest technology in LED lighting, installing occupancy sensors in hallways and offices and using high efficiency condensing boilers. Total savings amount to $384,000 annually, including 2,437,000 kWh and 58,200 therms.

“We assumed we would find savings elsewhere in our system but never realized how much opportunity is out there and how much more we have to accomplish,” said Tony Braz, BH’s Manager of Facilities. “The savings in operating costs we’ve achieved and the incentives we receive from the utilities help us put more funding toward patient care and assistance to the community.”

BH’s engineering department reviews each new construction project or facility renovation to ensure efficiency standards. On a campus dedicated to health and wellness, these efforts are designed to improve both organizational efficiency and comfort levels for staff and patients.

BH is planning on investing $2 million more this year in energy reduction measures and is working with Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo) and Columbia Gas of Massachusetts on a multiyear partnership to reduce energy conception by an additional $300,000 to $600,000 in the next year.

It’s a prescription for success that makes BH an outstanding example of efficiency, both in western Massachusetts and nationwide.