Search Results
Displaying results 31 - 40 of 301
By Julie Moyle, MSN, RN Outreach and Engagement Specialist
General anesthesia administered during surgical/interventional procedures typically includes the administration of anesthesia gases. Only about 5 percent of administered anesthesia gas is metabolized by the patient, while the other 95 percent is expired by the patient during respiration. To protect personnel in the OR from being exposed to the anesthesia gas, a breathing circuit and dedicated HVAC vacuum line (usually purple in color) diverts or “scavenges” the unmetabolized waste anesthetic gas (WAG) from the patient and vents or… Read More
Type: Press
This template provides one-size-fits-all guidance to help health care organizations achieve successful waste management programs or projects. It outlines a new, standardized process for gathering the information necessary to design sustainable waste management solutions, optimize your project or program’s success, and develop a proposal for leadership buy-in.
Successfully implementing a sustainable waste management program or project will require following a defined process. This process includes:
Watch a training
Watch the recorded training below to learn how to use the… Read More
Type: Resources
Hospitals across California are required to be in compliance with the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery organic waste reduction mandates.
California has implemented several regulations to increase the diversion of organic materials away from landfills and toward the production of value-added products like compost, fertilizers, and biofuels.
California disposes approximately 30 million tons of waste in landfills each year, and more than 30% of the state’s waste could be used for compost or mulch. Organic waste (including green and food materials) is recyclable through… Read More
Type: Resources
Critical access hospitals such as the 6-bed Vidant Bertie and the 49-bed Vidant Chowan in eastern North Carolina, can make significant improvements in waste reduction despite the relatively small volumes of waste they generate. By installing a recycling dumpster at Bertie and compactors at Chowan, EVS Manager Lizbeth White has seen a 34 percent decrease in cost of solid waste removal at one hospital and 63 percent volume reduction at another. Key waste reduction programs include replacing desk-side trash cans with recycling bins, 96 percent polystyrene elimination, and recycling 67 percent of… Read More
Type: Resources
Open this resource to see an example of a poster on regulated medical waste disposal from Overlook Medical Center.
Type: Resources
The operating room (OR) is often the largest generator of waste within a hospital setting, and has been estimated to produce between 20-33% of the total waste generated in the hospital despite its diminutive spatial footprint. Of the waste generated by the OR, the largest percentage is often regulated medical waste (RMW), which can costs between 5 and 10 times more than solid waste to dispose of. Much of this cost can be avoided with proper waste segregation.
There are several finite steps an organization can follow to set up and implement a regulatory compliant RMW segregation program.
Type: Resources
Regulated medical waste (RMW) is regulated at the state level, with each state defining what material is legally considered to be RMW (also called infectious waste, biohazardous waste or special medical waste (depending on the state) within its borders. The state regulation also typically lays out the appropriate or acceptable treatment or disinfection methods for different classes of medical waste, as well as the proper storage, labeling, manifesting and disposal requirements for RMW. The agency defining RMW can vary by state but is typically the state department of health or the state… Read More
Type: Resources
The Healthcare Environmental Resource Center (HERC) and Practice Greenhealth recommend this 10-step approach to help you develop and implement a comprehensive pharmaceutical hazardous waste management program – one that combines regulatory compliance and best management practices with waste minimization – to safeguard human health and the environment, while minimizing risk in a cost-effective manner.
Type: Resources
(Less waste toolkit) Since 2009, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center has reduced its regulated medical waste (RMW) from 10 to seven percent of total waste, saving an estimated $2,000 per year in waste disposal fees. The operating room and endoscopy personnel identified opportunities for improvement. This win-win opportunity was accomplished through education, improved segregation, and regular audits.
Type: Resources
(Less waste toolkit) Learn how Inova Fairfax Hospital, a 900-bed trauma 1 community hospital in Falls Church, Va., reduced 14 percent of red bag waste and saved over $200,000 in waste removal fees.
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.