Search Results
Displaying results 141 - 150 of 200
Many of our member hospitals have made eliminating polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) from clinical products and devices a top priority, by creating PVC- and DEHP-free purchasing policies as part of their larger institutional safer chemicals policy, and by targeting specific hospital areas, such as the NICU, or product categories one-by-one.Switching to products that are free of both PVC and DEHP is beneficial to patient safety. The Food and Drug Administration has recommended hospitals limit exposures to DEHP for sensitive populations, especially… Read More
Type: Basic page
Once a quarter, up to four affiliate premium partners will be featured in an interactive session with breakouts to introduce, share, and spark conversation with the Practice Greenhealth network at large. Affiliate partners are manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, or other supply chain partners. As a key player in the health care supply chain, collaboration is paramount to our work.
“I really enjoyed the information and plan to share it with my colleagues.”
– Forum participant
Affiliate premium partners may share information about their company's sustainability efforts and… Read More
Type: Basic page
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 retardant… Read More
Type: Basic page
Medical devices and equipment cost more than their initial purchase price. Maintenance, energy demands, disposal costs, and other long-term costs of ownership can drastically change the lifetime price tag of products and equipment.
The tool provides a framework to assess the financial costs and bring hidden costs to the surface, including:
Maintenance
Use
Disposal
Looking at the maintenance, use, and disposal costs to an organization means looking at costs, such as:
Energy use, water consumption, fuel, and waste disposal
Cleaning
Consumables
Taking all of these factors… Read More
Type: Basic page
Reducing energy waste and procuring renewable energy are some of the most effective steps that our member hospitals are taking to reduce their environmental impact and protect community health. There are many reasons energy should be an area of focus:
Inpatient health care is ranked by EPA as the second-largest commercial energy user in the United States.
Health care facilities consume close to 10% of the total energy used in U.S. commercial buildings and spend more than $8 billion on energy every year.
The health care sector is responsible for 8.5% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions… Read More
Type: Basic page
Nonprofit hospitals are required to provide community benefit programs to maintain their tax-exempt status. Recent changes to community benefit regulations require hospitals to conduct community health needs assessments (CHNAs) every three years and to develop implementation strategies to address significant health needs in their communities.
To identify the community benefit lead at your facility, a good first step is to obtain your hospital’s CHNA, implementation strategy, or community benefit report. These are likely to be posted on the hospital’s website. Often a contact will… Read More
Type: Basic page
Hospital’s food and nutrition departments can help ensure healthy food access both within and outside their walls.
Expanding healthy food access
Many health care system staff — especially those working in food service, nutrition, and procurement departments — are pursuing activities to increase access to healthy foods.
At the same time, community benefit staff are undertaking community health activities to address health priorities such as food insecurity, diet-related diseases, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.
By working together, these groups can share expertise and resources… Read More
Type: Basic page
Introduction
Increasing seafood purchases, is a solid strategy for reducing meat while promoting human and environmental health. However, the lack of transparency – along with seafood’s numerous health, environmental, and social justice concerns – make it a particularly difficult food group to navigate. This guide offers seafood procurement recommendations based on sustainability, nutrition, social, and animal welfare concerns.
This guide’s recommendations complement existing third-party certifications and inform day-to-day purchasing when sustainability labeling and information is… Read More
Type: Basic page
Plant Powered 30 is a 30-day challenge to inspire your employees to choose a plant-forward meal once per day (and hopefully more!). Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth have created all the promotional materials you will need to run this fun and engaging challenge for your employees.
Plant Powered 30 is part of Plant-Forward Future, a curated set of resources from Practice Greenhealth, Health Care Without Harm, and our partners that will help health care facilities set a plant-forward goal, menu and market plant-forward dishes, and track their progress.
Have you run Plant… Read More
Type: Basic page
The Visionary Leader Award recognizes annually one senior-level health care executive who is making a significant contribution to health care sustainability through groundbreaking and innovative strategies, and mentorship. The winner will be a leader who has effectively advocated for and woven sustainability and environmental stewardship into health care operational excellence. Below are the past winners.
2019 Visionary Leader Award Winner
Alison Santore
Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Social Responsibility
Providence
2019 Visionary Leader Award Winner
Barbara E. Tretheway… Read More
Type: Basic page
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.