Tools and resources

RMW Reduction Clinical Plastics Recycling: Clinical Plastics Virginia Mason 2016

• Waste
• Reuse or Donate
• Textile Reuse
• Exemplary Document
• Virginia Mason
• Guide
• Policy

The Warm Toes Project at Virginia Mason donates PACU socks to the homeless. Virginia Mason has donated an average of 10 pounds of socks per week to Mary's Place Homeless Shelter, which would have otherwise gone in the trash, eliminating disposal costs and diverting 520 pounds per year from the landfill.

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RMW Reduction Clinical Plastics Recycling: Clinical Plastics Spectrum 2016

• Recycling
• Exemplary Document
• Spectrum Health
• Poster

Spectrum Health provides a sample sign for the recycling of single use surgical instruments.

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Mayo Clinic Rochester: Medical plastics recycling study

• Exemplary Document
• Mayo Clinic
• Greening the Operating Room
• Medical Plastic Recycling
• Study

This life cycle assessment study conducted for Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. compared the overall environmental impact of disposable polypropylene blue sterilization wraps with that of reusable aluminum hard sterilization cases.  The study found that the reusable hard cases have roughly half the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions impact than the disposable polypropylene blue wraps annually.

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Reprocessing: Boston Medical Center 2016

• Greening the Operating Room
• Exemplary Document
• Boston Medical Center
• Policy

This resource provides a policy template for establishing and approving a reprocessing and remanufacturing program of single-use or disposable medical devices in accordance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),  the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and other federal, state and local agencies. It outlines definitions, requirements, and policy…

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Environmental considerations for roofing

• Sustainable procurement
• Green Building
• Buildings
• Guide

According to Department of Energy, low-slope roofing—the kind most commonly used in commercial buildings—is one of the most environmentally damaging building materials. The following sample RFI/ RFP questions have been developed and listed in table format so they can be integrated easily into a pricing template or used in other formats. These questions address basic environmental and human…

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Rethinking health care supply chain costs: Total cost of ownership project

• Cost of Ownership
• Presentation
• Supply Chain
• Sustainable procurement
• Toolkit

(Greenhealth cost of ownership toolkit)  For many medical devices and services, there are submerged costs that are not always reflected in the purchase price and may not be considered during purchasing decisions. Beyond acquisition, these costs include use, maintenance, and end of life costs, such as disposal. Practice Greenhealth tools bring these submerged costs to the surface during the…

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Environmental considerations for rapid test kits

• Sustainable procurement
• EPP
• Medical products
• Waste
• Mercury

There are several environmental considerations for rapid test screen kits including waste minimization, mercury, and PVC. This guide includes sample request for proposal language and other factors to consider when purchasing rapid test screen kits. 

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Providence St. Peter Hospital: Energy efficiency in the OR

• Greening the Operating Room
• Energy Efficiency
• Case Study
• Greening the Operating Room Case Study
• Providence St. Peter Hospital

Providence Health System has been focusing for several years on how to rein in its energy use across the system. The system has benchmarked through Energy Star and has a corporate director of sustainability who works with individual facilities to set energy efficiency targets and goals.

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Planning a battery recycling program for your health care facility

• Waste
• Hazardous and universal waste
• Guide
• Recycling

To avoid disposal costs and environmental and human health effects associated with battery disposal in landfills or incinerators, recycle your old batteries. With proper planning, a battery recycling program can provide good public relations, increased employee morale, and potential savings from the elimination of battery disposal.

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Environmental considerations for plumbing products

• Sustainable procurement
• Buildings
• Green Building
• Water
• Less Water

According to the Us Geological Society, about 410,000 million gallons per day of water was withdrawn for use in the United States during 2005. Health care facilities can be one of the largest users of water in a community and, by reducing water use, can achieve a return on investment. Use these questions in your RFI or RFP to identify environmentally preferable products.

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