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(Transportation toolkit) MediDock provides an alternative to idling an ambulance, supplying power for key vehicle needs at a cheaper energy cost than gasoline and without the emissions or noise of a running engine.
Type: Resources
(Safer hand hygiene toolkit) Mayo Clinic set out to standardize hand soaps throughout the system and reduce costs. Infection prevention and control brought forward a critical goal to eliminate the use of antimicrobial hand hygiene products used in patient care and public areas. A multi-disciplinary team reviewed and piloted hand hygiene products and collected user feedback on those products. Mayo Clinic successfully implemented UL ECOLOGO green-certified hand soap and hand sanitizer without antimicrobial agents. The hand hygiene initiative was applied system-wide.
Type: Resources
(Less water toolkit) A trend in increasing water consumption triggered action by the Mayo Clinic Health System Energy Team to determine a cause and recommend an improvement plan. Not only did the increase in water consumption correlate with increases in water and sewer charges, but it caused concern for environmental impact. A goal was established to decrease water consumption by three percent.
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
(Less water toolkit) NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) implemented an enterprise approach to cooling water management. This increased operational efficiency by 5.5 percent and resulted in ~1.2 MM gallons of water saved and $8,175 dollars in annual savings. In addition, energy efficiency and organizational communication were improved. The program has a simple payback of 22 months.
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
(Less water toolkit) On January 2015, the Fremont Tower, a 90-bed inpatient unit was open to patients in addition to a more efficient central utility plant. Between seven options for plant upgrades, a 90-ton heat recovery chiller (HRC) and cooling tower cooling strategy with a shoulder boiler were selected to enable free cooling and improve load performance during low load hours.
Type: Resources
(Less water toolkit) There are over 50 million inpatient surgeries annually in the United States according to the CDC, and the majority of clinicians still practice the tradition of hand washing with soap as standard procedure. Carolinas Medical Center’s Green OR Committee discovered that only 22 percent of their clinicians were utilizing waterless scrubs (alcohol-based hand rubs). After facility education and system-wide adoption, over 80 percent of surgical personnel favored the waterless scrubs. This new behavior change translated directly to 2.7 million liters of water savings resulting… Read More
Type: Resources
Bronson Healthcare,the largest employer in southwest Michigan, serves nearly two million meals per year. Bronson Healthcare has a goal to source 70 percent of their food locally.
Type: Resources
Lehigh Valley Health Network creatively connects with their homeless community and local high school using recyclable materials from their facilities. The health system provided sewing patterns to make bedrolls and ponchos from blue wrap.
Type: Resources
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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.
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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.