ORA Dental Studio Receives Practice Greenhealth’s “Making Medicine Mercury-Free” Award

May 17, 2010 - PRLog -- The award recognizes healthcare facilities that have eliminated mercury from their facilities and have made a commitment to continue to be mercury-free. ORA Dental Studio has the distinction of becoming the first dental facility in the nation to receive this award from Practice Greenhealth for their exceptional environmental efforts.

“Being both mercury-free and BPA-free are essential aspects of practicing environmentally responsible dentistry and we hope that the entire dental industry will eventually join our efforts” states Mladen Kralj D.M.D., co-founder and lead developer of ORA Dental Studio.  

CleanMed is an annual global conference focused on environmentally sustainable health care. This international conference plays a crucial role in catalyzing environmental improvements in the health care sector. The conference draws a diverse mix of over 600 health care leaders, materials and purchasing managers, environmental health and safety staff, doctors, nurses and providers, architects, designers, and medical and building product vendors from across the globe.

“We conscientiously employ the precautionary principle within all of our patient care modalities, and to be nationally recognized for eliminating mercury within all of our dental practices further solidifies our stance.”  states Goran Kralj D.D.S., co-founder and lead developer of ORA Dental Studio.  “This award, along with our partnership with the World Health Organization in their global Mercury-free Healthcare campaign are a demonstration of the commitment we have to the health of our patients and the environment,” adds Steven Koos D.D.S., M.D., ORA’s lead oral surgeon and Director of Environmental Affairs.

Each year at the CleanMed conference (www.cleanmed.org) the Environmental Excellence awards recognize pioneering organizations whose environmental programs are well established and who are leading the healthcare sector with innovative projects.  The award is one of the organization’s seven Environmental Excellence Awards given each year during CleanMed to honor outstanding environmental achievements in the health care sector.

“Reducing the environmental footprint involves the elimination of contaminants and pollutants one by one,” said Bob Jarboe, Executive Director of Practice Greenhealth. “Until recently mercury was an integral part of health care operations. Now the Making Medicine Mercury-Free Award recognizes the determination to reduce the health and environmental impacts associated with the use of mercury in every health care facility.”

Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading membership and networking organization for institutions in the healthcare community that have made a commitment to sustainable, eco-friendly practices. Members include hospitals, healthcare systems, businesses and other stakeholders engaged in the greening of healthcare to improve the health of patients, staff and the environment. Practice Greenhealth is a source of environmental solutions for the health care sector. For more information on Practice Greenhealth, healthy initiatives, current trends, news and views, and other links to earth-friendly organizations, visit www.practicegreenhealth.com.




About ORA Dental Studio

ORA Dental Studio is Chicago’s and the nation’s first and only ‘green’ group dental practice promoting Eco-friendly Dentistry®. ORA delivers the perfect synthesis of a chic, zen-modern environment, state-of-the-art green technology, minimally and non-invasive services, and eco-friendly protocols and products that are uncommon in traditional dental practices and unique to Chicago.

ORA Dental Studio’s eco-initiatives start with the meticulous design and construction of its dental practices that strictly followed LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and GGHC (Green Guide for Health Care) protocols. Through conscientious planning ORA has created high performance ‘green’ facilities that are healthier for their patients, a more productive place to work, less costly to operate and maintain, and reduce their environmental footprint. ORA’s Wicker Park practice will be the first LEED™ Silver certified dental practice in Chicago, and one of only a handful in the nation.

ORA Dental Studio is also a dental industry leader in the delivery of green healthcare, garnering numerous awards. Among them, ORA is one of the first dental practices in the nation to achieve the Eco Dentistry Association™ (EDA) certification at the highest level – GreenDOC™ Gold. ORA was also inducted as an EDA Charter Certified Practice, a distinction that honors practices that are innovators and leaders at the forefront of dentistry's green wave.

Founded by Dr. Mladen Kralj, Dr. Goran Kralj, Dr. Steven Koos, and Dr. Reggie Thurston, ORA Dental Studio offers comprehensive general, cosmetic and oral surgery services such as: non-invasive laser periodontal therapy; BPA-free composite resin restorations; non-invasive ozone treatment; metal-free/lead-free porcelain restorations; laser teeth whitening; Invisalign clear braces; smile makeovers with porcelain veneers; dental implants; sedation “sleep” dentistry, and wisdom tooth extractions.

ORA Dental Studio currently has four locations in downtown Chicago’s West Loop, South Loop, Wicker Park, and Gold Coast neighborhoods. In the fall of 2010 ORA plans on opening its fifth location in the Roscoe Village neighborhood at the Green Exchange (www.greenexchange.com) the nation’s largest sustainable business community. For more information about ORA Dental Studio visit www.oradentalstudio.com.