Search Results
Displaying results 951 - 960 of 967
Tory Dietel Hopps is a social, environmental, gender and financial activist. In 2007, she joined her father Bill and sister Betsy in creating Dietel Pickering & Partners, where she helps clients align their giving with their values. For 25 years prior to Dietel Pickering & Partners, Tory focused on resource development, nonprofit management and governance in education, environment, health and human services. She served as a principal of Turning Point Consulting, specializing in strategic planning and organizational capacity building for nonprofits. She currently serves as an advisor… Read More
Type: Staff
Regulated medical waste, also called red bag waste, biohazard waste, or infectious medical waste is one of the most expensive waste streams to manage.
Though it can make up less than 8 percent of a hospital’s total waste production, it can cost more than 40 percent of their waste management budgets to handle.
Over the last 20 years, we’ve learned a lot about the impacts of regulated medical waste and its disposal from the hospitals we work with.
By narrowing down the scope of regulated medical waste into several sub-categories based on levels of risk they pose, hospitals can more narrowly… Read More
Type: Basic page
The manufacture, use, and disposal of computers, imaging equipment (printers, copiers, fax, multi-functional devices [MFDs], scanners, digital duplicators), mobile phones, servers, televisions and their electronic accessories have a global adverse impact on human and environmental health. Electronics contain toxic heavy metals, halogenated flame retardants, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and many other chemicals of concern. Rapid changes in technology mean many of these products have short lives and are easier to dispose than to repair and upgrade.
Electronics goal
Specify, purchase and… Read More
Type: Basic page
“Medical device reprocessing occasionally receives a negative perception due to collection logistics and contracting complexities. In reality, it can generate significant cost savings. With consistent, recurring education and thoughtful collection strategies, organizations can realize savings with relative ease.” – Janell Adams, materials value chain directorKEY TAKEAWAYS OSF HealthCare's strong reprocessing program encountered problems when they changed vendors. This shift disrupted device collections, reduced staff engagement, and complicated the health system’s… Read More
Type: Basic page
Kathy Gerwig presented Kaiser Permanente’s Bold Goals for improved environmental performance in a Practice Greenhealth March 2016 webinar entitled “THRIVE – Setting Bold Goals at Kaiser Permanente.” Kaiser Permanente’s goals are team goals – with team responsibility. They don’t rest on the shoulders of any one person. They put the goals out there and then work together to achieve them. That feels right to me. To not over think it.
But it’s not just goal setting, Kaiser Permanente frames up their commitment with vision statements. The vision is followed by a goal which is made… Read More
Type: Press
The energy and equipment needed to safely evacuate Waste Anesthesia Gas (WAG) in the Operating Room (OR) may be operating during unoccupied periods, wasting energy and wearing out equipment. Concurrently, minimizing the atmospheric exhaust of WAG is considered a key strategy in reducing a health facility’s carbon footprint. The global warming potential over 100 years (GWP100) of commonly used anesthetic agents and medical gases is significant: sevoflurane 130x, isoflurane 510x, and desflurane 2540x one metric equivalent of carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (298x)… Read More
Type: Resources
Congratulations on winning a Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Award and on your organization’s exemplary environmental stewardship.In recognition of your dedication to environmental excellence and to help spread the word of this honor Practice Greenhealth plans to:Announce all award winners on the Practice Greenhealth website.Issue a press release about this year’s awards.Share the news with other Practice Greenhealth members.Promote across social media. Follow Practice Greenhealth on LinkedIn and sign up for our newsletter.Continue to share your stories of innovation,… Read More
Type: Basic page
Pharmaceutical waste can be classified as either regulated medical waste, solid waste, or hazardous waste, depending on regulations of a hospital’s state and locality. Regardless of the waste stream, our member hospitals have identified safe and responsible pharmaceutical waste disposal as a pressing challenge for several reasons:
Flushing and dumping, once common go-tos for disposal, are no longer best practice now that more and more evidence shows these discarded medications end up in groundwater.
More stringent regulations for controlled substances require additional… Read More
Type: Basic page
Pest control in hospitals is important to maintain cleanliness and prevent the spread of disease. However, many pest control chemicals are toxic and can expose patients, staff, and visitors to harmful compounds, threatening health. Since hospitals are operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there is no “after-business” window with reduced exposure risks to safely apply chemicals.
Hospitals looking to reduce the number of pest control chemicals used in their facilities are turning to integrated pest management programs that eliminate regularly scheduled pesticide applications. Instead,… Read More
Type: Basic page
Regulated medical waste, also called red bag waste, biohazard waste, or infectious medical waste is one of the most expensive waste streams to manage.
Though it can make up less than 8 percent of a hospital’s total waste production, it can cost more than 40 percent of their waste management budgets to handle.
Over the last 20 years, we’ve learned a lot about the impacts of regulated medical waste and its disposal from the hospitals we work with.
By narrowing down the scope of regulated medical waste into several sub-categories based on levels of risk they pose,… Read More
Type: Basic page
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.