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Bulky materials such as ceiling tiles, bricks, glass, carpeting, cabinetry, and cement from construction and renovation projects can be expensive to remove. Many of Practice Greenhealth member hospitals have been able to reduce the amount of construction and demolition debris that goes to landfills by nearly 80 percent by:
Building recycling and reuse goals and requirements into new construction contracts
Purchasing fewer materials or purchasing more recyclable and/or reusable construction materials at the outset of a project
Better segregation of materials such as furniture, cabinetry,… Read More
Type: Basic page
Bulky materials such as ceiling tiles, bricks, glass, carpeting, cabinetry, and cement from construction and renovation projects can be expensive to remove. Many of Practice Greenhealth member hospitals have been able to reduce the amount of construction and demolition debris that goes to landfills by nearly 80 percent by:
Building recycling and reuse goals and requirements into new construction contracts
Purchasing fewer materials or purchasing more recyclable and/or reusable construction materials at the outset of a project
Better segregation of materials such as furniture, cabinetry,… Read More
Type: Basic page
Moving from single-use, disposable items to reusable items is an effective waste reduction strategy in the operating room, and also reduces upstream environmental impacts because fewer natural resources need to be extracted, shipped, manufactured, produced, and distributed. Reusability of supplies and products should be a priority in every purchasing decision, and the opportunities in the OR abound, including:
Suction canisters
Pulse oximetry probes
Basins/pitchers
Positioning devices
Surgical linens (gowns, drapes, covers, towels)
Blood pressure cuffs
Tourniquets
Sharps containers… Read More
Type: Basic page
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 and… Read More
Type: Basic page
Rigid sterilization containers can be a sustainable, safe alternative to polypropylene “blue wrap” for sterile operating room equipment.
Incorporating the cost of rigid sterilization containers into annual capital budgeting processes such that requests for new instrument sets include a rigid sterilization container can help offset upfront cost, especially when used on high-volume, commonly used instrument sets or items. The effort has long-term cost-saving benefits by reducing the amount of blue wrap and other single-use sterilization materials, like sterile indicator tape, which may require… Read More
Type: Basic page
Charters are usually created for discrete governance structures, such as the charter for Rush University’s green team utilities working group, a topical work group focused on energy. The charter outlines the group’s purpose and charge, which includes provision of regular progress updates to the organization’s high-level sustainability steering committee. Additional sections outline logistics, process, membership, and project areas.
Type: Resources
Two weeks ago, my daughter Franni and I (along with two other moms and their 8th grade girls) embarked on a volunteer trip to Jaibon, Dominican Republic through a not for profit— Outreach 360. We spent the week teaching English to children aged kindergarten through sixth grade and worked on a project associated with a boy’s orphanage that homed 22 amazing boys. The school principal and orphanage founder were one in the same – “La Tia” – the Aunt.
Students
I was able to connect this experience to my passion for health care sustainability by going online to identify the local hospital. I… Read More
Type: Press
By Scott Rich, Practice Greenhealth marketing and growth associate director
Over the summer months and into autumn, I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Practice Greenhealth partners, prospects, and advisory services clients out on the road in Idaho, Utah, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.
Here are a few highlights from “the road:”
University of Utah Health (Salt Lake City)
The University of Utah Health system is one of the newest partners in the Practice Greenhealth network and quite possibly the most excited. In addition to the professional hospital staff, 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
Medical devices and equipment cost more than their initial purchase price. Maintenance, energy demands, disposal costs, and other long-term costs of ownership can drastically change the lifetime price tag of products and equipment.
The tool provides a framework to assess the financial costs and bring hidden costs to the surface, including:
Maintenance
Use
Disposal
Looking at the maintenance, use, and disposal costs to an organization means looking at costs, such as:
Energy use, water consumption, fuel, and waste disposal
Cleaning
Consumables
Taking all of these factors into account… 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 1,700 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.