Tools and resources

Inova Fairfax Hospital: Regulated medical waste reduction

• Case Study
• Inova Health
• Less Waste
• Regulated medical waste
• Less Waste Case Study
• Toolkit

(Less waste toolkit) Learn how Inova Fairfax Hospital, a 900-bed trauma 1 community hospital in Falls Church, Va., reduced 14 percent of red bag waste and saved over $200,000 in waste removal fees.   

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Implementation Module: Rigid Sterilization Containers in the OR

• Greening the Operating Room
• Rigid Sterilization Containers
• Guide
• Reuse, donate, or sell

The operating room generates a large volume of disposable plastics, ranging from single-use medical devices to packaging to sterile wrap to plastic pour bottles for irrigation. The vast majority of these items go out the door as waste—either with regulated medical waste (where comprehensive segregation efforts have not yet been undertaken) or as solid waste or recycling. More efficient than…

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Implementation module: Regulated medical waste segregation and minimization in the OR

• Greening the Operating Room
• Regulated medical waste
• Guide
• Waste Segregation

The operating room (OR) is often the largest generator of waste within a hospital setting, and has been estimated to produce between 20-33% of the total waste generated in the hospital despite its diminutive spatial footprint. Of the waste generated by the OR, the largest percentage is often regulated medical waste (RMW), which can costs between 5 and 10 times more than solid waste to dispose of…

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Implementation module: OR kit reformulation

• Greening the Operating Room
• OR Kit Reformulation

This implementation module from the Greening the Operating Room Initiative defines best practices in the OR to reduce environmental impact, cost, increase efficiency, and improve worker and patient safety.

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Implementation module: Moving (Back) to Reusables in the OR

• Greening the Operating Room
• Reuse, donate, or sell

When considering how to reduce the environmental footprint of the operating room, it makes sense to first revisit the old adage of Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. This common sense approach relies on the concept of avoiding use of materials or supplies that are not needed to protect or ensure patient or worker safety (reduce), using a reusable, preprocessed or reposable option where a product must be used…

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Implementation module: Medical plastic recycling in the OR

• Greening the Operating Room
• Medical Plastic Recycling
• Recycling
• Guide

Recent hospital data demonstrates that recycling in the OR can generate large volumes of recyclables—in excess of 1000lbs of medical plastics weekly at one large NYC institution with more than 40 ORs/surgical procedure areas.  At an average cost of $121 per ton for solid waste disposal and a price tag of $68 per ton for recycling the same material a hospital might pay nearly twice the price for…

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Implementation module: Fluid management systems in the OR

• Greening the Operating Room
• Fluid management systems
• Guide

A large portion of surgical waste is liquid waste — blood and body fluids diverted during surgery. This waste stream is typically collected in disposable plastic suction canisters. Hospitals are finding that another option—fluid management systems that empty liquids directly to the sanitary sewer—are safer for staff, better for the environment and offer long-term cost-savings.

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Employee engagement: Human resources checklist

• Employee engagement
• Toolkit
• Tool

(Employee engagement toolkit) Maximizing the value of healthier environments supports staff recruitment, retention, satisfaction, safety, and health. Healthier environments are key to creating a culture and workplace that nurtures employees, providing a place they want to stay and grow. The number one concern of human resources professionals is keeping the workforce engaged. Environmental…

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Healthy hospitals: Controlling pests without harmful pesticides

• Chemicals
• Integrated pest management
• Report

Although many people have come to assume that applying pesticides is the only way to control pests and ensure a clean, healthy health care facility, this report shows that pests can be successfully managed without toxic pesticides and without having an adverse effect on the quality of patient care. Health care facilities have another opportunity to “first, do no harm” by changing the way they…

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Leadership spotlight: Raymond J. Baxter

• Leadership
• Engaged Leadership
• Kaiser Permanente

Leaders learn best from their peers. The Leadership spotlight profiles highlight engaged leaders and engage other hospitals and health systems. These leaders recognize the opportunity for personal and organizational transformation and are ready to walk, talk and envision a healthier future – a future where planetary and human health are interconnected – where the Hippocratic Oath to "do no harm" …

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