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Sterilants and disinfectants used on surfaces, medical devices, and all items that come in contact with patients are an absolute necessity for infection control in any hospital.
The two most commonly used sterilants and disinfectants for medical devices in health care also have unwanted side effects for the health care workers who use them. They are:
ethylene oxide, a known human carcinogen; and
glutaraldehyde, with reported side effects experienced by health care workers, such as breathing difficulties, rashes, headaches and nosebleeds.
Both the use and disposal of toxic sterilants… Read More
Type: Basic page
Many of our member hospitals have made eliminating polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) from clinical products and devices a top priority, by creating PVC- and DEHP-free purchasing policies as part of their larger institutional safer chemicals policy, and by targeting specific hospital areas, such as the NICU, or product categories one-by-one.Switching to products that are free of both PVC and DEHP is beneficial to patient safety. The Food and Drug Administration has recommended hospitals limit exposures to DEHP for sensitive populations, especially… Read More
Type: Basic page
Please visit our Guidance for health systems: Setting a net-zero emission goal page for more information.
Why are we changing our goal from carbon neutrality to net zero?
Climate science shows us there is an urgent need to substantially reduce emissions in the near future and offsets are not sufficient to meet that goal. To limit warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F), organizations need to focus on decarbonization so we can reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 and reach zero emissions by 2050. Carbon neutrality is defined by PAS 2060, the internationally recognized specification. PAS… Read More
Type: Basic page
Christopher Bodkin lives in rural New Hampshire and has served Practice Greenhealth as a data coordinator since 2013. Get his take on the importance of adopting a circular mindset, how data can drive a successful sustainability program, and his not-so-secret talent.
What emerging issues do you see in sustainability in health care?
I see the potential for the health care industry to drive extended producer responsibility. As two states require producers of packaging to share the responsibility, many hospitals are reviewing their purchasing decisions and putting pressure on their… Read More
Type: Press
This resource provides a sample policy that includes direction on vendor behavior with respect to a health care facility's medical device reprocessing program.
Type: Resources
Open this resource to view a sustainability dashboard report from Advocate Health Care, including goals and actual results achieved for the quarter.
Type: Resources
View Advocate Health Care system's environmentally preferred purchasing policy, prepared by supply chain management for the entire system in 2016.
Type: Resources
This vetted list of criteria and third-party certifications meets the definition of sustainable meat and poultry for Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth.
Type: Resources
This event event occurred as part of CleanMed 2024. For information about CleanMed, the premier national conference for leaders in health care sustainability, visit CleanMed.org.
Health care has never had so many financing mechanisms for building decarbonization, but the pathway for leveraging these tools is complex. Presenters share stories from two health systems to highlight pathways for identifying finance approaches for decarbonization. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center case study reviews how green building design standards led to an improved ASC prototype and how they… Read More
Type: Event
We teamed up with chefs Jessica Wright, director of healthy food in institutions for Nourish Colorado, and Andre Uribe, founder of Sustainable Meals Oregon, to create recipes and film demo videos for eight mouthwatering, plant-forward dishes.
From spicy tempeh chorizo to Thai hazelnut soba noodles and soy curls to green chickpea guacamole, each dish builds on locally available plant proteins – including some of the innovative products we developed with health care systems, and local producers and food processors for our regional plant-based protein project.
These recipes are… Read More
Type: Press
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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.
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.