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By Mark Sanchez
Business Review West Michigan
Accounting for 18 percent of the GDP in America and holding enormous purchasing power, health care is in a position to drive sustainability to new heights, Gary Cohen believes.
From energy consumption to the use of chemicals and safer products, health care “can have a society-wide transformational power,” said Cohen, founder and co-executive director of Health Care Without Harm, a group that advocates for environmental responsibility in health care.
“It’s the one sector in society that has the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm, and, as it begins to… Read More
Type: Press
By Veronique Nagle, Practice Greenhealth human resources director
As a Practice Greenhealth member, your organization is striving for healthier environments, healthier people, and a healthier bottom line. In times of trying to do more with less, while also increasing stakeholder engagement, maximize efforts by connecting with human resources to identify opportunities to enhance the hiring and employment experience through the understanding and clear messaging of how organizational environmental priorities are a benefit to all staff members.
Human resources has a critical role to play in… Read More
Type: Press
By Gary Cohen, Practice Greenhealth and Health Care Without Harm president
2017 has been a year of uncertainty. We saw some of the largest demonstrations in modern history, including the Women’s March, the People’s Climate March, and the March for Science. At the same time, it felt like the planet held its own demonstration.
In just over six weeks, the United States and surrounding areas were hit by four major hurricanes. The estimated costs for hurricanes Harvey and Irma combined are between $150-200 billion. Puerto Rico still has half of the island without power. On the other side of the… Read More
Type: Press
By Beth Eckl, Practice Greenhealth Environmental Purchasing program director
You’ve secured leadership support, built a team of colleagues who were successful in getting an environmental purchasing policy adopted, and now it’s time to select environmentally preferable products and services. So which contracts should you begin with? And how do you prioritize among hundreds of purchasing opportunities?
Setting priorities enables organizations to focus on the highest value opportunities to drive sustainable development.
Some choose to begin with a strong business case for targeting products… Read More
Type: Press
What began as an employee engagement campaign at Gundersen Health System blossomed into a project aimed at inspiring health care landscapers across the country.
Gundersen Envision, a subsidiary of Gundersen Health System, developed Udderly Green organic soil amendment products in collaboration with Purple Cow Organics.
The venture is rooted in Gundersen Envision’s dairy digester biogas renewable energy project in Middleton, Wis., one of the health care system’s many clean energy projects.
Planting a seed
Several years ago, Gundersen Health System and Dane County in Wisconsin partnered… Read More
Type: Press
How 1 hospital is saving $20k a month and reducing GHGs
By Kaeleigh Sheehan, Practice Greenhealth Greening the OR and member engagement manager
With mounting threats posed to human health from climate change, more health care facilities are focusing on opportunities to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. And anesthesia practice has come under an increasing level of scrutiny and interest since anesthetic gases (most commonly desflurane, sevoflurane, isoflurane, and nitrous oxide) used for patient care are greenhouse gases.
During a procedure, only about 5 percent of administered… Read More
Type: Press
By Kaeleigh Sheehan, Member Engagement and Greening the OR manager
“Globally, nationally, as a sector, we have to set higher standards, and be more mindful of our impact,” says Dr. Seema Gandhi, associate clinical professor of anesthesiology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center.
Gandhi says environmental stewardship has always played a prominent role in her daily life. Growing up in India, her parents reinforced mindfulness and only using what was needed. Naturally, she brought that mindset into her clinical practice, beginning with her medical training at… Read More
Type: Press
By Iqbal Mian, Practice Greenhealth member engagement manager
The first time I saw Sister Mary Ellen Leijewski, Dignity Health’s vice president of corporate responsibility, was at CleanMed a few years ago. Along with fellow CleanMed participants (I worked at a fellow Practice Greenhealth member health system at that time), we listened intently to Sr. Mary Ellen’s inspirational message on the intersection of sustainability and the respect for life through the value of stewardship.
At that time, I worked at Ascension Health/Ministry Health System guiding over a dozen hospitals and 46 clinics… Read More
Type: Press
On a recent winter morning, Michael J. Fiore CIH, CSP, director of Environmental Occupational Health and Safety/Sustainability at NorthShore University HealthSystem, sat down with Hermine Levey Weston for a conversation about the value of the Environmental Excellence Awards in advancing their sustainability goals.
[Hermine] NorthShore University HealthSystem’s past successes include an Emerald and a Top 25 Hospital award. Why do you make the Environmental Excellence Award application a priority for your program?
[Mike] This is a great question and extremely appropriate as I think about how… Read More
Type: Press
By Lauren Koch, Health Care Without Harm climate and health program associate director
I am on the edge of the millennial generation. And, it turns out, my career path mirrors the research on my generation.
After earning a business degree, I ventured into the corporate jungle and quickly realized it wasn’t for me. Driven by my passion, I focused my job search on organizations with ethics that matched mine.
Research shows millennials are inspired by the opportunity to make a difference. Feeling like you’re working for a place that leaves the world in better shape is addictive.
And for many… Read More
Type: Press
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.