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Many products and materials that come into hospitals may contain or release carcinogens, reproductive toxins, or other hazardous materials, exposing patients, staff, and the community to harm. Purchased goods and services also account for a majority of the energy and water use by the sector. Participants meet to share best practices in engaging group purchasing organizations (GPO) and suppliers, integrating environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) in value analysis, and identifying cost saving opportunities. Also, time is reserved during each session for participants to receive quick… Read More
Type: Basic page
A Practice Greenhealth Case Study
“If you can do something to reduce the waste, you’re doing the right thing for the environment, you’re saving money, and you’re doing something that’s socially responsible. It’s a win-win-win all the way around.” – Tom Thompson.
Gundersen Health Systems' baseline revealed they were throwing out an average of half a ton of food every week — approximately 24 tons every year.
They used a technology-enabled tracking system to weigh and track pre-consumer waste. The data helped them discover and implement strategies to reduce food waste.
The health system… Read More
Type: Resources
Practice Greenhealth partners Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and PeaceHealth have joined ecochallenge.org for a second year to offer an exciting engagement initiative designed specifically for health care caregivers.
What is the one healthcare ecochallenge?
From April 1-30, you and other members of your organization’s team will use the online platform on the ecochallenge site to select activities to do at work, at home, and in your community to help develop healthy and sustainable habits.
Choose from a wide range of daily and one-time actions crafted with health care employees in mind.… Read More
Type: Press
The University of California (UC) announced a bold expansion of its systemwide sustainability goals as part of its Carbon Neutrality Initiative and leadership on climate change efforts.
UC will aim for 100 percent reliance on clean electricity supplies across its campuses and UC Health’s medical centers by 2025. This dovetails with the university’s prior pledge to become operationally carbon neutral by 2025. UC has already saved $220 million with its energy efficiency programs and continues to leverage the benefits of its solar farm in Fresno, the largest solar purchase of any university in… Read More
Type: Press
Nonprofit hospitals are required to provide community benefit programs to maintain their tax-exempt status. Recent changes to community benefit regulations require hospitals to conduct community health needs assessments (CHNAs) every three years and to develop implementation strategies to address significant health needs in their communities.
To identify the community benefit lead at your facility, a good first step is to obtain your hospital’s CHNA, implementation strategy, or community benefit report. These are likely to be posted on the hospital’s website. Often a contact will be listed… Read More
Type: Basic page
By Mark Sanchez
Business Review West Michigan
Accounting for 18 percent of the GDP in America and holding enormous purchasing power, health care is in a position to drive sustainability to new heights, Gary Cohen believes.
From energy consumption to the use of chemicals and safer products, health care “can have a society-wide transformational power,” said Cohen, founder and co-executive director of Health Care Without Harm, a group that advocates for environmental responsibility in health care.
“It’s the one sector in society that has the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm, and, as it begins to… Read More
Type: Press
Blog posted by the Healthy Food Team of Practice Greenhealth and Health Care Without Harm
To celebrate Food Day in 2016, Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth teamed up with Menus of Change, an initiative of The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to support the sourcing of sustainable products and creation of healthy meals with recipes and resources.
With more than 70 participants from California to Massachusetts, Wisconsin to Florida and the places in between such as Wyoming and Colorado, hospitals answered the call to source and serve… Read More
Type: Press
Challenge
Control Montefiore Health System and Medical Centers energy budget while increasing ROI through low-risk and diverse strategies and initiatives.
What Makes Montefiore Health System different from other hospitals and medical centers?
“Going green” and “sustainability” are trending words that we hear thrown around a lot today. More and more organizations claim that they are going green and reducing their carbon footprint. So, what makes Montefiore different? Montefiore has been producing and using sustainable energy since 1993, with new and ever-evolving innovative programs. But… Read More
Type: Press
As a sustainability professional, you can connect your community benefit department with healthy food program implementers in your food service department to help align your organization’s sustainability efforts with community benefit investment opportunities.
Connecting the dots
Collaboration among sustainability staff and community benefit staff can additionally align and amplify “climate co-benefit” initiatives that directly improve public health.
By working together, these departments can share expertise and resources to more effectively — and simultaneously — address environmental and… Read More
Type: Basic page
Hospitals and other institutions through the United States are leveraging their food service operation to support environmental and human health.
By creating a sustainable food service vision statement and policy, hospitals move from isolated projects, sustained by the interest and involvement of a few staff, to a formal framework for understanding and making progress.
Conducting an inventory or assessment before setting the policy and plans is recommended as part of this process in order to include effective goals, benchmarks and tracking, and performance systems.
Adoption of a… 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.