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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 leadership and… 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
Health Care Without Harm's new film and story series, "Partners in promoting health and equity: Stories of health care and community," explores how health care organizations can drive community collaboration and enrich the health and well-being of the people they serve.
From recovering hospital food for people in need to ending forced labor in supply chains to preventative approaches to address the root causes of illness, these stories showcase how hospitals and community organizations can lead the way to a thriving and sustainable society.
Learn how hospitals and health systems – some of… Read More
Type: Press
By Hermine Levey Weston, RN MBA, Member Engagement Manager, Practice Greenhealth
Part two of a two-part blog series begun last week.
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement frames quality as striving to meet the Triple Aim: population health, per capita cost and experience of care. Making the connection to Population Health involves using healthier food systems to prevent obesity and cancer and minimizing endocrine disruption by decreasing chemicals of concern in buildings. Increased incidence of vector-borne illnesses is correlated to climate change so mitigating climate change by… Read More
Type: Press
Blog by Blair Sadler, Esq., Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Now is the time to make environmental sustainability part of your quality improvement work.
Years ago when I was a hospital CEO, I didn't have sustainability on my radar screen. I wasn't aware of the significant impact that the health care sector has on the environment – and on quality care. I didn't consider the amount of waste, energy and water that hospitals used – that chemicals of concern are found in medical products and furniture – that the food system is one of the biggest contributors to global… Read More
Type: Press
Some traditional cleaning products contain ingredients that have been linked to occupational asthma. It is possible for hospitals to maintain optimal infection prevention and control while also reducing staff, patient, and visitor exposure to harmful chemicals present in many traditional hospital cleaners.
Green cleaning goal
Inventory cleaning products and purchase 90% Green Seal or UL ECOLOGO certified cleaning products in the following categories: carpet, window, all purpose, bathroom, and general floor care
For the most commonly used cleaning products, “greener” cleaners can be… Read More
Type: Basic page
(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
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.