by
Diana Bradley, Staff Writer | September 26, 2012
From the September 2012 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
“Using refurbished equipment is something that a hospital can market to a community,” says Sabine Duffy- Sandstrom, vice president of the refurbished systems business unit at Siemens. “It not only shows patients what services they offer and what technology they have, but also that they want to be a participant in the green movement of their community. This awareness is important.”
Stryker Sustainability Solutions’
reprocessing programs help
reduce 3,400 tons of medical
waste per year. Here, a single-use
device is placed into a collection
container to be reprocessed.
Likewise, Stryker’s reprocessing programs are in use at more than 1,900 leading hospitals and hospital systems across the U.S. Last year, the company helped divert nearly 3,400 tons of medical waste and saved hospitals $206 million in supply expenses. On a per-hospital basis, some save more than $600,000 annually.
How going green stops patients and staff from turning green
Any hospital’s top priority is treating ill patients. But many hidden dangers lurk that can actually impede the health of a hospital’s community, including patients, visitors and staff.
“Hospitals have an inherent responsibility in their mission to help treat and provide patients with high quality care, but this treatment includes not only treating disease and injuries, but also protecting health and making the community they serve a better place to live,” says Wenger. “In many communities the hospital is one of the largest employers, so it is also imperative to provide the staff within that facility with a safe environment that promotes health and is not just focused on treating disease.”
Nursing has one of the highest rates of occupational asthma of any discipline, according to Wenger. And it is no wonder: On any given day, nurses are inhaling fumes from harsh cleaners, paints, adhesives and furnishings, which give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including formaldehyde.
“When I did my doctoral work, my dissertation was on nurses who handle cancer therapy drugs,” explains McCauley. “What we actually found was that in handling these drugs, nurses were exposed to substances in those drugs, and started having health symptoms related to exposure to those drugs. So I became very interested in how hospital staff can be exposed to things that may not be optimal to their health.”
