Going green by reducing the red
There is one initiative that healthcare facilities both large and small can implement and make a pretty significant impact on the environment.
Oh, and did we mention it could save you a little cash as well.
This month’s issue of Medical Environment Update features an article about greening your healthcare practice. Janet Brown, director of sustainable operations for Practice Greenhealth, a non-profit organization in Arlington, VA that focuses on environmental solutions for the healthcare sector, says that all of the green initiatives see in the hospital setting are just as easy in a physician’s office.
“We get calls from doctor’s offices and people are really asking for more guidance and assistance for their private practice,” says Brown. “Most of the hospitals that we work with do have off site physician practices or just ambulatory or outpatient care, and a lot of what they learn with the acute care they definitely trickle over to these outpatient practices.”
And one of the simplest tasks is to reduce red bag waste, Brown says. Red bag waste is difficult to dispose of and harmful to the environment. Although you won’t be able to eliminate it completely, a reduction of waste will surely save you money while taking a step in the right direction.
“Red bag reduction is the best way to save money as far as waste goes,” Brown says. “I mean hospitals have saved 100’s of thousands of dollars a year through improved segregation of red bag waste. So, even if you are at a smaller setting and you could reduce your waste fees by even a few hundred a year, it still gets the attention of the person paying the bills. ”
Simple steps for reduction include: using a step-on trash can for red bag waste so employees have to think before they just throw something out, making regular waste baskets available for materials like paper towels, and ensuring there is visible signage to remind employees to use red bags for hazardous waste only.
And if you are worried that your green initiatives will supersede safety, don’t. Going green doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice OSHA compliance or patient safety.
“It’s a very important question because going green does not mean you are loosening the quality of care in any way shape or form and sometimes people might make that leap, but of course the worker and the patient and the community safety come first,” says Brown.
Listed below are a few green healthcare resources that could provide some guidance to your facility:
Teleosis: This organization is intended specifically for greening healthcare. Teleosis provides education, resources, and tools for healthcare facilities that want to go green.
Leadership inEnergy and Environmental Design (LEED): This organization provides certification for all business, including healthcare, for environmental building design.
Healthcare Without Harm: A campaign made up of “hospitals and health care systems, medical professionals, community groups, health-affected constituencies, labor unions, environmental and environmental health organizations, and religious groups.” Their mission is to make the healthcare industry more ecologically sustainable without compromising patient safety.
Green Guide to Healthcare: This is a project of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems and Health Care Without Harm, with input from Practice Greenhealth. It offers healthcare leadership guidance in planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance to make facilities more environmentally friendly.
Eco Dentistry Association: Created by Fred and Ina Pockrass, who opened the first green certified dental office, this association provides support and resources specifically for dental offices looking to make the switch.
Did you find this advice helpful? Learn how you can get all your OSHA questions answered by registering for OSHA Healthcare Advisor’s “Q&A Roundtable: Solutions to Your Compliance Challenges” audioconference.
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Medical Environment Update
Medical Environment Update is an eight-page monthly newsletter designed to help busy healthcare professionals who don't have time to look through regulatory journals for compliance requirements and information.
MEU has written 21 posts.
Comments
Hello
In our Family Medicine office of four doctors, we perform rapid strep, chlamydia, strep and urine cultures. We typically throw all this waste into the red bag trash. Is this necessary?
thank you
Michael Lambke, MD
Good question, Michael. Janet Brown, cited in the above post, says that is necessary. She says all cultures and stocks of infectious agents must go in a red bag.
What about the Demolizer II for eliminating the need to use a hauler?
Is this a good product?
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