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Are local and sustainable foods the same thing? The response, in short, is not always. Applying the terms “local” and “sustainable” synonymously and interchangeably can lead to false conclusions. As health care facilities strive to incorporate environmental best practices in their food service— and measure their success in this endeavor— accuracy and precision of language is of vital importance.
Time to Choose: Knowing the Difference Between “Local” and “Sustainable”
Apples may be grown nearby or chips processed in a regional plant but those apples may be produced with heavy pesticide use… Read More
Type: Press
This living wall covers an impressive amount of space giving occupants a moment and area of respite.
By Iqbal Mian, Practice Greenhealth member engagement manager
Being in driving proximity to the Mayo Clinic’s Rochester campus gave me the perfect opportunity to intimately understand the organization’s sustainability efforts during a planned onsite visit at the end of June.
Amanda Holloway, Office of Sustainability director, and Ashlyn White, sustainability fellow, gave a stage to present to a diverse audience of nurses, physicians, and departmental staff on the environmental… Read More
Type: Press
UW Health quietly pushed forward since its 2017’s big achievement in LEED Gold for the American Center, a first for Wisconsin and one of 17 in the United States. Commitments to continue conservation have increased with formal targets in water intensity reduction by 5% across the portfolio of buildings, having seven buildings that meet or exceed the EnergyStar score of 75, all while completing direct and indirect (scope I and scope II) emissions inventory that account for fleet vehicles, anesthetic gas, energy utility purchases, and more.
“Our highly engaged staff is key to our success,”… Read More
Type: Press
“I don’t sell plant-based, I sell delicious looking and tasting food that just happens to be plant-based.”
– Dan Henroid, University of California San Francisco Medical Center
Dan Henroid knows that his competition is fierce. Just steps away from his University of California San Francisco Medical Center campus are dozens of eateries that the hospital’s staff and visitors could patronize.
In order to stay on-trend and maintain their customer base, UCSF introduced plant-forward menu concepts, reducing animal proteins and increasing plant proteins. Being a savvy marketer, Dan, UCSF’s… Read More
Type: Press
“Thanks to the data analyzed through the awards platform at Practice Greenhealth, we're in a healthier position to categorically mitigate the various wastes associated with health care operations, while improving patient and community health. For example, we came to understand the hospital's water usage, while better than the median, is now a focal point of reduction."
– Ali Wolf, Asprius project manager
Environmental stewardship in a health care environment can take many forms. From waste reduction and safer chemicals to building design and energy conservation, there are an array of… Read More
Type: Press
Shanda Demorest joined Practice Greenhealth as a member engagement manager in May 2019. She lives in Minneapolis. Find out what she bought with her very first paycheck, how nursing prepared her for this job, and why Groundhog Day is her favorite holiday.
What might surprise your friends or colleagues to learn about your job?
I think what would surprise folks about my job as a member engagement manager is how similar to nursing it is. As a nurse, it’s my job to listen to patients and families to learn about their needs and help them access resources to optimize their health. At Practice… Read More
Type: Press
Practice Greenhealth’s 2019 Visionary Leader Award winner Barbara Tretheway arrived at HealthPartners in 2000 wanting to make a difference at work and in the community.
As general counsel, much of her focus was on governance, including helping to ensure the board of directors was governing the health care organization in the most efficient and impactful way possible.
“Every corporation whether for profit or not for profit is a citizen of the community that they live in and is judged in many societal ways. ‘Are you proud that they are in your community, or are they harming your… Read More
Type: Press
The surgery department is sometimes referred to as the soul or epicenter of a hospital for a number of reasons: It can bring in up to 60% of a facility’s revenue, and the reputation of the operating room is often tied directly to the reputation of the hospital.
At the same time, a typical OR can make up half of a hospital’s aggregate costs, produce 33% of a facility’s waste, consume more energy per square foot than any other area of the hospital, and anesthetic gases alone make up around 5% of an organization’s greenhouse gas footprint.
All of this boils down to a department rich in… Read More
Type: Press
Practice Greenhealth member Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington, was among the first hospitals to receive and treat COVID-19 patients.
They used more personal protective equipment (PPE) in two months in early 2020 than their entire 51-hospital system used the previous year.
The realization that there would not be enough PPE if standard infection prevention policies and isolation procedures were followed meant something had to change, and quickly.
As supplies of high-filtration masks dwindled, CDC and FDA provided guidance to hospitals on how employees could reuse “… Read More
Type: Press
Practice Greenhealth announced the 2020 recipients of the Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards, the most prestigious environmental achievement for health care.
Including the Top 25, Practice Greenhealth recognized 421 health care organizations across 10 areas of sustainability through its annual Environmental Excellence Awards. This includes the Circles of Excellence honors to the top 10 hospitals nationwide in each sustainability impact area, Greening the OR Leadership and Recognition Awards, Greenhealth Emerald Awards, Partner for Change and Partner Recognition Awards, Making… Read More
Type: Press
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