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Reducing water consumption is a great place for hospitals and health systems to start improving their environmental impact and sustainability practices. There are many reasons water is and should be an area of focus:
Hospitals use approximately 7% of all water use in commercial and institutional U.S. facilities, which is costly when the price of water has slowly been rising over the last decade.
By 2030, it’s estimated that global water supply will only be able to meet 60 percent of our population’s needs.
Though hospitals are often exempted from water conservation regulations in times… Read More
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More than a third of our member hospitals have identified furniture and furnishings as an area where they’d like to reduce patient, employee, and visitor exposure to chemicals of concern, especially as evidence shows that many of the chemicals used in these products off-gas, or migrate out, from the finished product and get into the air and dust, exposing employees, patients, and visitors to the chemicals.
Targeted chemicals of concern in furniture and furnishings include:
Formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen, found in furniture, cabinets, countertops, and many other products.
Flame… Read More
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Many products and materials that come into hospitals may contain or release carcinogens, reproductive toxins, or other hazardous materials, exposing patients, staff, and the community to harm. Purchased goods and services also account for a majority of the energy and water use by the sector. Participants meet to share best practices in engaging group purchasing organizations (GPO) and suppliers, integrating environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) in value analysis, and identifying cost saving opportunities. Also, time is reserved during each session for participants to receive quick… Read More
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Through your purchasing, there are many ways you can improve the health and well-being of people in your community and ensure that farm and food workers can live and work with dignity. In this section, we outline best practices that support a valued workforce and community health and nutrition.
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Environmentally sustainable businesses contribute to healthy ecosystems by improving soil health, increasing biodiversity, and reducing the carbon and water footprint of food production, while advancing public health and worker safety. Animal welfare encompasses all aspects of animals’ well-being, and high animal welfare is achieved when an animal’s physical, mental, and behavioral needs are met throughout its life. In this section, we outline purchasing best practices that address both environmental sustainability and high animal welfare.
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Operating rooms generate as much as 60 percent of a hospital’s regulated, or "red bag," medical waste. Regulated medical waste is among the most heavily regulated and expensive waste streams to dispose of, in part because of the hazard it poses to people and the environment if improperly handled.
Virtually all waste generated during case setup is sterile and can be safely recycled. Working with infection control and environmental services to ensure applicable regulated medical waste definitions are clear and followed can be a game changer. When properly sorted, a significant portion of waste… Read More
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Climate change is the most serious and pressing environmental issue and an emerging threat to human health. Working to determine emissions produced by various aspects of hospital operations is a top priority to support mitigation and resilience goals.
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The built environment plays an important role in both the promotion of healing in patients and the health of building occupants. Most green building data is related to design and construction policies, planning, and standards – including information on building materials and furnishings.
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Moving from single-use, disposable items to reusable items is an effective waste reduction strategy in the operating room, and also reduces upstream environmental impacts because fewer natural resources need to be extracted, shipped, manufactured, produced, and distributed. Reusability of supplies and products should be a priority in every purchasing decision, and the opportunities in the OR abound, including:
Suction canisters
Pulse oximetry probes
Basins/pitchers
Positioning devices
Surgical linens (gowns, drapes, covers, towels)
Blood pressure cuffs
Tourniquets
Sharps containers… Read More
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Transportation is a major contributor to hazardous air pollution that can cause respiratory disease, asthma, preterm birth, low birth weight, and other health impacts and the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. An array of strategies contribute to driving down emissions from transportation – many of which require complex data tracking.
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Join Practice Greenhealth
Practice Greenhealth is the health care sector’s go-to source for information, tools, data, resources, and expert technical support on sustainability initiatives that help hospitals and health systems meet their health, financial, and community goals.
Who We Are
Practice Greenhealth is the leading sustainable health care organization, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,500 hospitals and health systems in the United States and Canada. Partnership opportunities include hospitals, health systems, community health organizations, NGOs, nonprofits, government, academic institutions, and the health care value chain.