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In 2016, the University Hospitals Office of Sustainability will continue to build upon its strong foundation of existing priorities while also seeking out new collaborative system opportunities that align cost savings, human wellness, public health and environmental stewardship. Emphasis in 2016 will be placed on programs that support energy efficiency, sustainable food provision, healthier transportation, and sourcing of products free of chemicals of concern, among other important initiatives.
View this resource to read the full sustainability strategic plan from University Hospitals.
Type: Resources
Procuring renewable energy is a highly impactful step your institution can take to reduce its carbon footprint and negative health impacts. The cost of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, has fallen dramatically in recent years, and accessing them is easier than ever making a shift to renewables much simpler and more cost effective than in the past. This resource includes the issues and opportunities around renewable energy procurement, how to get started, as well as how Practice Greenhealth can help you.
Type: Resources
Learn about Earth Day activities from 2019 through an archived webinar.
Join Practice Greenhealth’s Hermine Levey Weston, Kim Ray from Dignity Health and Samantha McKeough from HealthPartners for some lively presentations and sharing of Earth Day events. Learn what your organization can do to engage your staff and community in environmental stewardship for this year’s celebration of our planet Earth.
Learning objectives:
Identify fresh ideas to celebrate Earth Day in healthcare settings
Explore Practice Greenhealth Resources for Earth Day
Type: Resources
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a problematic plastic because it requires additives such as plasticizers like diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), among others, and generates chemicals of concern throughout its life cycle – from manufacture, through use and disposal – resulting in potentially hazardous exposures to those chemicals in the workplace, in communities, and in some patients.
We have worked with hospital and health system members to identify high-priority product categories as defined by life cycle impacts, the potential for the release of toxic chemicals into the environment, exposures to… Read More
Type: Resources
The surgery department is sometimes referred to as the soul or epicenter of a hospital for a number of reasons: It can bring in up to 60% of a facility’s revenue, and the reputation of the operating room is often tied directly to the reputation of the hospital.
At the same time, a typical OR can make up half of a hospital’s aggregate costs, produce 33% of a facility’s waste, consume more energy per square foot than any other area of the hospital, and anesthetic gases alone make up around 5% of an organization’s greenhouse gas footprint.
All of this boils down to a department rich in… Read More
Type: Press
There are numerous ways that hospitals can provide community benefit support for healthy food access programs. This brief outlines nine common role categories — and on-the-ground examples — that hospitals are playing in support of these programs:
Provide grant support
Provide use of hospital facilities
Conduct food insecurity or health screening
Conduct nutrition, food, or cooking education
Provide staff or financial support for program evaluation
Provide staff support for grant writing or securing sustainable funding of community benefit initiatives
Manage or coordinate a program or… Read More
Type: Resources
The standardized environmental questions for medical products are a set of supplier questions that can be used in the procurement process for OR surgical drapes to identify environmentally preferable products.
People can be exposed through the use of products containing these chemicals in the OR. In 2002, the FDA issued a Public Health Notification for PVC devices containing DEHP. DEHP is also listed as a carcinogen on the Prop 65 list. The National Research Council has also noted the importance of looking at cumulative exposure from multiple phthalates. These five phthalates are listed as… Read More
Type: Resources
Unleash your creativity and submit a video that celebrates the unsung heroes, innovative strategies, and transformative approaches driving progress in your organization. This is your opportunity to share untold stories that inspire and uplift the Practice Greenhealth community.
The Sustainability in action video contest is your chance to shine a spotlight on your hospital and health system’s groundbreaking achievements. Share your inspiring stories of resilience, equity, climate mitigation, and sustainability with a broader audience – and gain well-deserved recognition.
The contest… Read More
Type: Press
Dignity Health supply chain and sustainability staff worked collaboratively with Staples, their office supply distributor, to improve the use of more sustainable office supplies throughout their network. The results of this initiative that began in late 2016 have shown both an increase in “sustainable spend” and 5 to 7 percent savings in the category of office supplies.
“Our purchasing decisions not only contribute to our cost and quality goals but connect us to our core values – especially that of stewardship – cultivating the resources entrusted to us to promote healing, which is at the… Read More
Type: Press
What is composting?
Compost is created from the decomposition of landscape and food wastes. In a finished product, it is a dark, crumbly and earthy-smelling material that appears similar to soil. Composting provides institutions with a method to dispose of a large portion of these waste streams in a way that benefits their bottom line and the environment. By composting, an institution avoids high per ton incineration or landfill disposal costs for these dense and heavy materials. For some institutions that use an industrial food disposal system, composting avoids sludge issues at the… 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.