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The 132-patient room, 378,000 square foot Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital was built to replace an aging facility originally designed as a nursing home and that could no longer meet the demands of the community in its existing space. Offered as a development site by the City of Boston, the hospital has become an exemplar of resilience strategy and planning. It's design integrates essential program requirements, a therapeutic environment, climate resilience, and beauty.
Spaulding is a hospital of the future that is designed for resilience and an ability to continue operations in the event of… Read More
Type: Resources
Each year, Practice Greenhealth collects and reviews comprehensive sustainability data from hospitals that report through the Environmental Excellence Awards. We utilize this data to provide the sector’s best sustainability performance benchmarking data to hospitals and health systems working to build environmental stewardship into their mission, and to the greater health care supply chain partners that are integral to this work. This is the twelfth report in a series stretching back to 2009. This report lays out sustainability performance data for 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought unique… Read More
Type: Resources
(Employee engagement toolkit) Green employee benefits can facilitate behavior changes with tangible results which also measurably benefit the environment. They have the potential to accelerate meaningful environmental impacts and bring sustainability values deeper into the fabric of an organization. The services can help retain and attract employees, as well as benefit their health and financial well-being.
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs are successfully operated at a number of hospitals throughout the country, and the popularity of programs is increasing steadily. Facilities… Read More
Type: Resources
(Sustainable procurement guide) One of the greatest challenges we face today is embedding sustainability and justice into the things we buy. For generations, our march toward an increasingly globalized economy has come at the expense of our health, social justice, and the environment. For just as long, those costs have remained hidden, the harm externalized.
The COVID-19 crisis exposed the fragility and vulnerability of our global supply chains. Yet it also has given us an opportunity to move toward localized supply chains that not only reduce environmental harm, but also provide business… Read More
Type: Resources
Recruitment, retention and satisfaction is on the mind of health care leaders. 2018 marked an 18.5 percent turnover rate in the health care sector, the highest rate in a decade. Last year, 24 percent of new hires left within a year. High turnover combined with health care growth is creating staffing gaps, which impact the bottom line. The average cost for one replaced health care worker is $60,000.
The next generation of health care workers seek employers that share their values and beliefs. Surveys indicate that most people are concerned about climate change and the number of people… Read More
Type: Resources
“Not only does this project impact greenhouse gasses from keeping food waste out of the landfill, it is also about dollars saved, which is important to hospital administrators, and then there is the food rescue piece which is what is really important to our community.”
– Jack Breezee, Sutter Health regional director of food and nutrition services
Sutter Health knew they were wasting food but didn’t know how much. They wanted to find a way to reduce food waste – and knew they could help their community at the same time.
Sutter Health partnered with our sustainability experts to… Read More
Type: Resources
A Practice Greenhealth Case Study
“If you can do something to reduce the waste, you’re doing the right thing for the environment, you’re saving money, and you’re doing something that’s socially responsible. It’s a win-win-win all the way around.” – Tom Thompson.
Gundersen Health Systems' baseline revealed they were throwing out an average of half a ton of food every week — approximately 24 tons every year.
They used a technology-enabled tracking system to weigh and track pre-consumer waste. The data helped them discover and implement strategies to reduce food waste.
The health system… Read More
Type: Resources
A total cost of ownership and Sustainable Health in Procurement Project case study
Name of facility, location
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota
Highlights
The Mayo Clinic had a fleet of over 1,000 lab freezers that use as much energy as about 1,000 homes.
They standardized purchasing practices for their fleet of ultra-cold lab freezers to buy more energy-efficient models.
By selecting the most energy-efficient model, rather than the lowest price, they will achieve a 60% energy-use reduction and long-term savings of more than $6 million over 10 years.
Ultra-cold laboratory freezers… Read More
Type: Resources
Increased awareness around the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water has resulted in closer scrutiny and increased regulatory oversight of pharmaceutical waste. Evidence of feminization of fish raised a red flag and resulted in more studies, closer scrutiny, and concern for human health and the environment. The U.S. Geological Survey has done extensive work to characterize the kinds and volumes of pharmaceuticals ending up in waterways. Learn more at U.S. Geological Survey's Emerging Contaminants Project.
While hazardous pharmaceutical waste management is a headline news item at… Read More
Type: Resources
A Practice Greenhealth Case Study
“Organics recycling and food waste diversion remain very important to us, and we are slowly but surely working to expand both the number of facilities with organics recycling and the types of materials that can be recycled.” – Allison Egan, HealthPartners Sustainability Consultant
HealthPartners wanted to reduce sending organic waste to the landfill. They hoped to reduce their climate impact, lower their taxes, and recycle the nutrients found in food waste.
The health system partnered with a farmer, a commercial composter, and a community garden and… Read More
Type: Resources
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.