Tools and resources

Best practices for disposal of controlled substances

• Waste
• Pharmaceutical Waste
• Guide

In light of the opioid epidemic, environmental concern over medication in waterways and confusing and sometimes conflicting DEA and EPA regulations, Practice Greenhealth formed a controlled substances work group to develop a guidance document helping health care facilities properly and legally manage controlled substances within the facility.  The flow chart leads the facility through the steps…

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Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital: Climate and health resilience

• Climate and Health
• Case Study
• Resilience

The 132-patient room, 378,000 square foot Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital was built to replace an aging facility originally designed as a nursing home and that could no longer meet the demands of the community in its existing space. Offered as a development site by the City of Boston, the hospital has become an exemplar of resilience strategy and planning. It's design integrates essential…

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Data 101 webinar series

• Webinar
• Data
• Awards
• Greenhealth Academy

The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards is more than an awards program – it’s an opportunity to capture data on environmental quality improvement progress within hospitals and health systems.  Data is power. It has the power to demonstrate a return on investment. It has the power to implement positive change. When submitted through Practice Greenhealth’s Environmental Excellence…

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Less water toolkit

• Water
• Tap water access
• Less Water
• Toolkit

Practice Greenhealth member organizations have found that they can significantly increase water efficiency without huge capital outlays, using a variety of reduction and recycling strategies. This toolkit provides you with a Practice Greenhealth member-only benefit to help with your sustainability goals and daily challenges. Click on the resources below and get started now.

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Partners HealthCare: Filtered water

• Less Waste
• Waste
• Solid waste
• Water
• Tap water access

The adoption of a plumbed-in filtered water system into Partners HealthCare McLean Hospital, in Boston, has resulted in the elimination of plastic bottles. In the inpatient areas alone: The FY08 baseline water per patient day expense was $0.97. By FY2011, patient per day expense was reduced to $.02. Annual recurring savings estimated at $38,000 (comparing FY08 to subsequent years). The hospital…

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Less waste how-to guide

• Waste
• Medical Waste
• Regulated medical waste
• Hazardous and universal waste
• Construction and demolition debris
• Solid waste
• food waste
• Pharmaceutical Waste
• Reuse, donate, or sell
• Composting
• Recycling
• Toolkit

(Less waste toolkit) Hospitals are pouring, burying, burning and cooking garbage made up of plastics, chemicals, paper, food, needles, packaging and lots of electronic equipment. With rising waste removal fees, beach wash-ups, medical waste incinerators identified as a major source of mercury in the environment and the Associated Press’ recent investigation on pharmaceutical waste in the country’…

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Healthy Interiors Goal

• Guide
• Chemicals
• Healthy interiors

Practice Greenhealth’s Healthy Interiors goal promotes public and environmental health and helps accelerate the transformation of the furnishings market to safer products.   What is Practice Greenhealth’s Healthy Interiors goal? Ensure that 30% of the annual volume of furnishings and furniture purchases (based on cost) eliminate the use of formaldehyde, perfluorinated compounds,…

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Leaner Energy: Background

• Climate and Health
• Leaner Energy

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…

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World Health Organization report: Operational framework for building climate resilient health systems

• Climate and Health
• Resilience

This document presents the World Health Organization (WHO) Operational framework for building climate resilient health systems. The framework responds to the demand from Member States and partners for guidance on how the health sector and its operational basis in health systems can systematically and effectively address the challenges increasingly presented by climate variability and change. This…

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WHO: Operational Framework for building climate resilient health systems

• Climate and Health
• Leadership
• Report

(World Health Organization) This document presents the World Health Organization (WHO) Operational framework for building climate resilient health systems. The framework responds to the demand from Member States and partners for guidance on how the health sector and its operational basis in health systems can systematically and effectively address the challenges increasingly presented by climate…

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