Tools and resources

Anesthesia: Virginia Mason 2016

• Greening the Operating Room
• Exemplary Document
• Virginia Mason
• Report

In 2015, Virginia Mason continued to improve on their anesthesia carts to enable anesthesiologists to have an environmentally responsible practice. The carts were optimized so that each one has a recycling, compressed aerosols, and a comingled sharps container. Once the standard work was agreed to, all of the carts were standardized to the design, so that it is intuitive and easy to use.  This…

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UCSF Medical Center: Anesthetic gas flow rate stickers

• Exemplary Document
• UCSF
• Anesthetic Gas
• Greenhouse Gas
• Clinician engagement
• Greening the Operating Room

(Anesthetic gas toolkit) Check out the stickers UCSF created to inform providers about the environmental impact of inhaled anesthetics and recommended fresh gas flow rates. 

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Analyzers, Reagents

• EPP
• EPP Resource
• Tool
• Guide
• Sustainable procurement
• Mercury

Practice Greenhealth provides a list of questions and environmental issues to consider during the purchasing process for instruments, analyzers, and other electronic devices, including those that consume reagents.

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American Thoracic Society - Climate Related Medical Conditions

• Climate and Health
• Print Materials
• Poster

According to a survey of American Thoracic Society members, most agree that climate-related medical conditions are on the rise in the form of chronic disease, allergies, and injuries. Open this resource to view the results of the survey.

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American Thoracic Society - Climate and Health

• Climate and Health
• Poster
• Print Materials

According to a survey of American Thoracic Society members, eighty-nine percent agree that climate change is happening, and  seven in ten believe it is driven by human activity and is relevant to patient care.

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Waste management services RFP questions

• Waste
• Recycling
• Waste Management

When contracting for waste management and recycling services, consider the suggested RFI/RFP questions to assess service options to maximize waste reduction and recycling opportunities. Practice Greenhealth provides members detailed purchasing guidance on waste tracking, hauling, auditing, and fees.

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Advocate Health Care green advocates and sustainable work space certification

• Engaged Leadership
• Case Study
• Advocate Health Care
• Employee engagement
• Toolkit

(Employee engagement toolkit) Advocate Health Care strives to create a culture of conservation and improve the health of people and the environment. At Advocate, sustainability initiatives are an important part of wellness and managing health care costs. Two of the programs developed to do this are the Green Advocate Program and the Sustainable Work Space Program.

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Addressing climate change in the health care setting

• Climate and Health
• Mitigation
• Health Care Without Harm
• Report

Health care’s response to climate change requires a multi-faceted, practical approach. This document provides several kinds of resources to help, including tips on getting started, potential mitigation programs in different sectors, and an outline of some of the many resources, model programs and guidelines available to help move the process forward.

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A Sustainability Culture at Johnson & Johnson

• Engaged Leadership
• Employees
• Employees Case Study
• Case Study
• Johnson & Johnson
• Employee engagement

Johnson & Johnson is composed of three business segments—Medical Devices, Consumer, and Pharmaceutical. This case study features an employee engagement strategy for Citizenship & Sustainability that began in the Medical Device businesses, which in 2014 accounted for approximately 37 percent of the company’s revenue, and includes brands such as: Ethicon, Depuy Synthes, Advanced…

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A Guide to Batteries Used in Health Care

• Waste
• Guide
• Recycling

Several types of batteries are used in hospitals, many of which contain mercury and may also contain other heavy metals such as lead and cadmium. These metals may be a potential threat to human health and the environment if improperly disposed. This guide provides information on different types of batteries found in health care environments and the proper disposal options for them.

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