April 2007
Dear Colleague:
"Going green" not only is a smart way for hospitals to protect the
environment, it also creates safe and healing environments for patients.
We are sending you the April 2007 issue of Premier’s Green Link e-mail
newsletter in place of this month’s Safety Share because it highlights many of
the "green" healthcare initiatives that intersect with patient safety. We hope
you enjoy it.
Sincerely,
Gina Pugliese, editor
Vice President, Premier Safety Institute
News
- Green Guide for Healthcare toolkit stimulates environmentally friendly building projects
- Hospitals expand green building efforts to create healing environments
- Healthy food movement spreads to healthcare
- Hospitals becoming more energy efficient
- Healthcare industry mobilizes on electronic waste issue
- New H2E environmental guide bridges JCAHO, federal regulations
- "Green" demands from hospitals, investors, fuel Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes
- InformeDesign Web site fosters hospital, designer collaboration on "green" projects
- Premier launches Web site with "Green" Success Stories
Green corner
A look at environmental success stories from around the country.
Computers-electronics
Beth Israel Deaconess turns e-waste into dollars
Premier offers "green" member computer options
Premier recycles 3 tons corporate IT equipment
Saint Francis Care, Hartford, CT e-waste initiatives
Energy efficiency
Tandus renewable energy source
Saint Francis Care, Hartford, CT saves energy
Medline energy conservation efforts
Energy Star winners
Saint Francis Care - Hartford, CT
St. Francis - Maryville, MO
Environmental purchasing
Saint Francis Care, Hartford, CT scorecard
Environment of care
Heartland Regional reduces O2 tanks
Food
Catholic Healthcare West healthy foods
Stonyfield Farm promotes healthy foods
Indoor air pollution
Beth Israel Deaconess air quality efforts
Leadership - corporate
Lanier's Environmental Leadership statement (3.3 MB)
Recycling and waste reduction
Beth Israel Deaconess - recycling program
Chelsea, Wieland - furniture reuse partners
Methodist Medical - reusable sharps container
Sparrow Health - recycling program
St. Elizabeth's - recycling benchmarks
SterilMed's SUD reprocessing services
Tandus - diverts carpet from landfills
Western Maryland - compacting waste
Toxic chemicals
Zebra Technologies reduces hazardous chemicals
Green Guide for Healthcare toolkit stimulates environmentally friendly building projects
As the U.S. hospital industry undergoes one of the largest construction booms in its history, the vast majority of hospitals planning new construction are doing so with guidance of green building criteria to create spaces that are as healthy for patients and workers as they are the environment. [Go to complete edition.]
Hospitals expand green building efforts to create healing environments
U.S. hospitals are taking a broader, holistic approach that goes to the core of their primary mission by creating high performance environments that heal – from calming waterfalls to public areas bathed in natural light.
[Go to complete edition.]
Healthy food movement spreads to healthcare
Mounting environmental hazards, most of which are man-made, are putting our nation's food supply at risk, and many U.S. hospitals are taking steps that not only are improving their food safety, but also changing the marketplace in the process. [Go to complete edition.]
Hospitals becoming more energy efficient
Motivated by upwardly spiraling costs, hospitals across the country are retrofitting their heating and air conditioning systems, installing energy efficient lighting, using renewable energy sources such as wind, or solar energy – even outsourcing their energy management – all in efforts to save money while becoming better environmental stewards.
[Go to complete edition.]
Healthcare industry mobilizes on electronic waste issue
U.S. hospitals may not be the biggest generators of electronic waste, but they are becoming among the most proactive in safe recycling and disposing of what has become a mounting environmental concern. [Go to complete edition.]
New H2E environmental guide bridges JCAHO, federal regulations
Hospitals for Healthy Environment (H2E) recently developed a tool that helps facilities ensure their programs are consistent with regulations of the federal government and The Joint Commission (JC). [Go to complete edition.]
"Green" demands from hospitals, investors, fuel Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes
The demand from healthcare for more environmentally friendly products and services is literally changing the industries that serve them, and Wall Street has taken notice. In recent years, more and more of those firms are not only striving to be listed on a specially created stock index of environmentally conscious companies, but are wearing such an achievement as a badge of honor.
[Go to complete edition.]
InformeDesign Web site fosters hospital, designer collaboration on "green" projects
Progressive hospitals undertaking or planning green building projects are challenging the architectural and design community like never before. And thanks to a new Web-based collaborative called InformeDesign, they have a forum for sharing ideas that combine design and human behavior research. [Go to complete edition.]
Premier launches Web site with "Green"
Success Stories
Premier Safety Institute launched a new Web site, Green Corner, which is dedicated to showcasing hospital and supplier success stories in environmental or "green" initiatives that contribute to a safer and healthier environment. [Go to complete edition.]
Editorial team
- Gina Pugliese, RN, MS, editor
- Judene Bartley, MS, MPH, CIC, associate editor
- John Hall, BSJ, associate editor
- Cathie Gosnell, RN, MS, MBA, contributor
- Judith Luca, RN, BSN, contributor
- Derek Kleckner, BA, CUA, Web master
- Jena Abernathy, Executive sponsor
About Premier, 2006 Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award recipient
Serving 1,700 hospitals and almost 45,000 other healthcare sites, Premier Inc., is the largest healthcare alliance in the United States dedicated to improving patient outcomes while safely reducing the cost of care. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier provides an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program, a collaboration of its Safety Institute and group purchasing to enhance the safety and health of patients, healthcare workers and the environment. Through its EPP program, Premier provides publicly available resources and tools to assist hospitals with their environmental safety agenda. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C. and Washington.
Green Link © 2007 Premier, Inc.
You may forward this newsletter to your colleagues. If you would like to reprint any of these stories, please cite "Green Link newsletter, Premier, Inc." as your source and send an email to safety_institute@premierinc.com and alert us. Thank you.
