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With Practice Greenhealth’s support, a cross-functional team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center developed a replicable cost-avoidance methodology using data that BIDMC was already collecting as a Coolfood Pledge signatory – no extra work required. If your hospital has joined the Coolfood Pledge, you can use this approach today. The “plant-based cost avoidance method.” By measuring the cost avoided by replacing higher-priced animal proteins with plant proteins using standardized purchasing and pricing data, this approach accounts for the price fluctuations, focuses on the specific… Read More
Type: Resources
Transitioning grassroots or departmental greening initiatives towards a formalized sustainability plan requires an engaged leadership team. And it's no coincidence that the furthest-reaching health care facilities have firm leadership engagement. Engaged leaders help move sustainability initiatives beyond specific areas of success and reach across all departments and initiatives with a direct link to the strategic direction of the organization.
When health care leaders can articulate why this work is important on a personal level and then operationalize that commitment throughout the… Read More
Type: Resources
Stewardship is a key aspect of the culture at Virginia Mason, as we strive to carefully manage the resources that keep our community in good health. One area of stewardship that is often overlooked in health care is the need to protect the environment. We know it makes good sense to reduce pollution for future generations. At an industry level, health care has lagged behind in taking proactive steps to protect our natural resources, but Virginia Mason is ahead of the curve. We were the first hospital in the Pacific Northwest to begin recycling and composting food waste and materials used in… Read More
Type: Resources
Hackensack University Medical Center’s annual food and beverage budget is $5 million with an estimated $1.5 million spend on meat and poultry. They serve more than 2.8 million meals annually. In only 18 months, Hackensack University Medical Center now leads the country in achieving a 98 percent benchmark of meat and poultry raised without routine antibiotics. Leadership is driving change through their GPO and the broader marketplace so other hospitals can have access to and benefit from purchasing these products. The medical center received significant media attention for their… Read More
Type: Resources
In a shifting health care landscape, sustainability programs are a timely investment that can generate significant cost-savings while offering a range of co-benefits. Across the country, hospitals are taking leadership roles in their communities in advocating for more environmentally responsible operations, cleaner energy, healthier and more sustainable food systems, and a smarter supply chain that avoids chemicals of concerns and drives market transformation toward safer products.
In one year, 355 leading hospitals saved more than $826 million by integrating a myriad of different… Read More
Type: Resources
Practice Greenhealth’s benchmark reporting represents the nation’s premier analysis of sustainability performance data for the health care sector. The 355 hospitals in this year’s data set saved more than $826 million on a range of different sustainable programs over the course of 2016, while deepening relationships with their communities and better supporting a more expansive definition of health. This data will assist hospitals in identifying key sustainability program opportunities by benchmarking their own program’s performance. This report is divided into 10 distinct benchmarking… Read More
Type: Resources
Practice Greenhealth’s 2016 Sustainability Benchmark Report highlights the achievements of the 2016 Environmental Excellence award winners. More than 300 hospitals provided data for this year’s report, with combined savings of more than $92 million across a range of environmental program areas. The new report provides not only a benchmarking comparison for hospitals already engaged in the work, but also showcases a range of success stories demonstrating how a commitment to a healthy environment can assist health care administrators in achieving financial goals while engaging and empowering… Read More
Type: Resources
(Less waste toolkit) Hospitals are pouring, burying, burning and cooking garbage made up of plastics, chemicals, paper, food, needles, packaging and lots of electronic equipment. With rising waste removal fees, beach wash-ups, medical waste incinerators identified as a major source of mercury in the environment and the Associated Press’ recent investigation on pharmaceutical waste in the country’s drinking water, it’s undeniable that “away” is a rotary that loops right back to where we started. Steps hospitals take to make less “stuff” can reduce dollars thrown in the trash and help to… Read More
Type: Resources
(Delivering community benefit: Climate and health) Climate change affects the social and environmental determinants of health: clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter. Doctors are increasingly treating patients with climate-related illnesses, and more than 70 percent recognize that climate is affecting their patients. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) predicts these changes will exacerbate some of our most pressing community health risks: obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular risks, asthma, access to care, and mental health concerns. Children, elderly, and… Read More
Type: Resources
The current sustainability program at Legacy Health is built around the Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI) model which includes six areas of focus: engaged leadership, healthier food, leaner energy, less waste, safer chemicals and smarter purchasing. In addition, Legacy has added commute trip reduction as a discrete category to the program. Even though significant progress is being made in each area, Legacy has not implemented a system-wide robust, reliable and consistent method to gather data related to all this work within the context of environmental sustainability. A more developed… Read More
Type: Resources
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Practice Greenhealth is the healthcare 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 healthcare 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 healthcare value chain.