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Baltimore – Oct. 13, 2015. The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) has been awarded LEED Gold certification for its Shock Trauma Critical Care Tower, a 140,000-square-foot patient care building that was completed in late 2013. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is an internationally recognized measurement of a building’s adherence to sustainable, or “green,” principles.
UMMC is the first hospital in Baltimore City to achieve LEED Gold certification for an inpatient building. The Gold level is the second-highest of four levels of certification:… Read More
Type: Press
10.07.15 by Beth Burmahl, Suzanna Hoppszallern Senior Editor, Jamie Morgan
Hospitals make fruitful progress toward sustainability as some take great strides and others stick to baby steps
When it comes to environmental sustainability, hospitals across the United States are making considerable strides in lopping off what industry experts call the low-hanging fruit — the less costly and labor-intensive measures that often show significant energy and cash savings.
But reaching the fruit nestled higher up in the tree — purchasing bigger-ticket items, securing adequate staffing and… Read More
Type: Press
As your stretcher is wheeled into a hospital operating room (OR) and you stare up at the bright surgical lights, you are likely thinking about your impending surgery, not if those lights have LED bulbs or if the anesthetic gas you are about to breathe contributes to climate change. But maybe you should be. Hospitals consume over 10% of the nation's energy and generate more than 5.9 million tons of waste a year, and the health care sector is responsible for 8% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The OR consumes more than its fair share of resources, eating up, on average, one third of a hospital… 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
By Keith Sutter, Director of Medical Device Sustainability, Johnson & Johnson
Support for sustainability among health care professionals is significant. A recent global Harris Poll survey commissioned by Johnson & Johnson found that more than three-quarters of health care professionals across six countries believe sustainability initiatives protect staff, and nearly 70 percent agreed they make business sense.
How can health care professionals translate this support into action, and build an effective case for investments in sustainability within their organization?
Answers are… Read More
Type: Press
January 08, 2015 | by Sean Ruck , Editor-In-Chief
Janet Howard is the director of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative at Practice Greenhealth, a non-profit with the mission to improve the health of health care, both by creating a healthier environment for patients and professionals and by creating an overall healthier planet through educational efforts and best practices. HCBN spoke with Howard to get some more information on what the organization’s educating hospitals about in regard to food.
HCBN: How much of a shift has there been with hospitals looking to serve healthier food?
JH… Read More
Type: Press
Gundersen Health System is building upon its successful pharmaceutical waste collection program with separate medication disposal containers for public use.
Gundersen is providing three medication drop boxes for patient, visitor and employee use. The boxes are located in the following areas on Gundersen campuses during normal Pharmacy business hours:
Gundersen La Crosse Clinic Pharmacy
Gundersen East Building Pharmacy
Gundersen Onalaska Clinic Pharmacy retail area
“Gundersen has had a pharmaceutical waste collection program in place for several years, but this initiative takes the program… Read More
Type: Press
By Janet Howard, Practice Greenhealth member engagement manager
Headquartered in vibrant Nashville, Tenn., HCA Healthcare (HCA) has more than 170 hospitals across the country and approximately 1,800 sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics. A member of Practice Greenhealth since 2009 and a founding sponsor of the Greening the OR Initiative, HCA’s environmental stewardship programming is framed around the importance of building healthier communities. Each of its hospitals has a sustainability lead, and many HCA hospitals have won… Read More
Type: Press
Purchasing Resources
When procuring office supplies, opportunuities exist to find cost savings and products that contain one or more environmental attributes. Look for ways to reuse or reduce use of supplies, purchase with recycled content and avoid chemicals of concern - such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and antimicrobials.
Criteria
Mulitple criteria: Office Supplies, RFP/RFI Questions (recycled content, free of antimicrobials and PVC, low VOCs)
When specifying levels of recycled content, the minimum postconsumer recycled content cited should not be lower than EPA's Comprehensive… Read More
Type: Resources
Background
Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration illustrates that buildings are responsible for almost half of the energy consumed and 38 percent of all GHG emissions in the United States. According to the EPA, inpatient health care ranks as the second largest commercial energy user after the food service industry. The US Department of Energy notes that hospital energy costs rose 56 percent from $3.89 per square foot in 2003 to $6.07 per square foot in 2008, and predicts those costs will continue to rise in the near term[i]. Hospitals are also often the largest water users in… 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 1,700 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.