Sustainability

Sustainability / en Tue, 22 Oct 2024 21:29:45 -0500 Mon, 16 Sep 24 23:07:06 -0500 AHRMM and 91��Education 2024 Webinar | Greening the Supply Chain Starts with Energy /education-events/ahrmm-and-ahe-education-2024-webinar-greening-supply-chain-starts-energy Now Available On-Demand!Currently, U.S. manufacturing activities and commercial buildings are responsible for nearly half of the 150 million tons of waste that wind up in incinerators or landfills each year. Of this, nearly 5.9 million tons of waste per year are generated by the health care industry alone, resulting in roughly $10 billion in annual disposal costs. Considering that supply chain costs are typically the second largest expense for health care providers and most of these procured materials ultimately go to waste, this is also a significant waste of capital that could potentially be reinvested back into other areas such as patient care. In order to combat the challenge of reducing waste and associated costs, hospital purchasing managers and sustainability staff are increasingly seeking out methods to improve the fiscal and environmental responsibility of their supply chains.Many health care providers are turning to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, a free online tool developed by the U.S. EPA to track and evaluate building energy, waste, and water usage, in order to reduce consumption and costs in their own facilities and influence greener purchasing decisions. This session will focus on how health care supply chain professionals can leverage ENERGY STAR tools and resources to help inform sustainable purchasing decisions, generate financial savings, and achieve organizational sustainability goals.<h4>LEARNING OBJECTIVES</h4><ul><li>Learn the benefits of procuring ENERGY STAR certified equipment, how to find them, and sample procurement language.</li><li>Understand the information required to benchmark facility waste or energy performance.</li><li>Define the benefits of achieving ENERGY STAR certification for buildings or tenant space in the supply chain.</li></ul><h4>CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS</h4>Earn 1 CEC for attending this educational webinar.<h4>SPEAKER</h4>Clark Reed National Program Manager US Environmental Protection Agency (MC-6202A) Mon, 16 Sep 2024 23:07:06 -0500 Sustainability Shortcuts to Sustainable Pest Management /shortcuts-sustainable-pest-management Formats:&nbsp;White Paper&nbsp;|&nbsp;Content Areas:&nbsp;Environmental Sanitation Operations&nbsp;|&nbsp;Tags:&nbsp;Environmental hygiene and sanitation, Sustainability, Pest Control<hr>Sustainable pest management is safer for your facility, your patients and the environment. While some pest control products can be harmful to humans – especially patients with compromised immune, neurological and respiratory systems – green pest management can fight pests while providing you peace of mind.Sustainable programs are also among the Association for the Healthcare Environment Performance Improvements Measures that allow you to track operational success metrics. Use the sustainable pest control best practices in this document to support&nbsp; sustainability program metrics. &nbsp; Fri, 24 May 2019 09:29:48 -0500 Sustainability The New Health Care Reality and Its Effects on Health Care Environmental Services /new-health-care-reality-and-its-effects-health-care-environmental-services <h1>The New Health Care Reality and Its Effects on Health Care Environmental Services</h1><h3>By Osmond Adams</h3>October 31st, 2018&nbsp;|&nbsp;Formats:&nbsp;Technical Paper |&nbsp;Content Areas:&nbsp;Administration&nbsp;|&nbsp;Tags:&nbsp;Change Management, Management, Sustainability<hr>Over the last 25 years the health care environment has undergone major and traumatic change. The meteoric rise in the cost of health care, combined with the need for quality and competition, put the health care industry at the top of the national agenda for reform. In the late 1980s, significant changes occurred in the way hospitals were paid. Omachonu (1991), in examining the efficiency of US hospitals, noted that in the late 80s health care costs in the US skyrocketed to almost $700 billion and that the way hospitals were reimbursed provided little incentive for efficiency. Payment by Medicaid and insurers was determined primarily on the costs incurred in providing patient care (Omachonu, 1991). In effect, the system encouraged waste, and provided little incentive for efficiency. The new system of reimbursement known as the Prospective Pricing System (PPS) was introduced to help drive down costs and improve efficiency. The increase in health care associated infections (HAIs) is an alarming national issue. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2002), HAIs raised by 36% over the last 25 years and the cost is estimated at between 28 and 45 billion dollars. Annually 2 million patients suffer from HAIs and an estimated 900 die. This ranks HAIs as the fifth leading cause of death in the USA (CDC, 2009). The prevalence of HAIs combined with the emergence of a number of new pathogenic bacteria has given rise to national alarm. This continues to be an area of significant focus. The combination of reimbursement changes, HAIs and newly emerging pathogens have had a significant impact on health care Environmental Services (ES). While many hospitals have been forced to reduce ES staff and reduce budgets, these changes have also given rise to innovations and creativity within the industry. Today, despite their many challenges, ES is an important&nbsp;participant in making decisions around construction, technology, infection prevention and patient satisfaction in health care institutions. This paper will examine how these changes in the health care industry have impacted ES operations. &nbsp;<div class="col-md-8"><div><h4 class="text-align-center">Access Today</h4>If you do not have member access, complete the form below to view this resource.If you are a member, login and access the technical paper through Key Resources on this page.&nbsp;MktoForms2.loadForm("//sponsors.aha.org", "710-ZLL-651", 2931);</div></div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wed, 31 Oct 2018 13:05:49 -0500 Sustainability 91��Exchange 2018 /education-events/ahe-exchange-2018 Greater Columbus Conventions Center Columbus, Ohio Mon, 08 Jan 2018 13:55:40 -0600 Sustainability Health in the Built Environment - Trends in Building and Product Certifications /health-built-environment-trends-building-and-product-certifications <h4>By Alan Scott, FAIA, LEED Fellow, LEED AP BD+C / O+M, CEM</h4>May 22, 2017&nbsp;|&nbsp;Formats:&nbsp;White Paper&nbsp;|&nbsp;Content Areas:&nbsp;Environmental Sanitation Operations, Planning, Design, and Construction&nbsp;|&nbsp;Tags:&nbsp;Design and Construction, Environmental hygiene and sanitation, Sustainability<hr>There are many facets to what makes a healthier built environment, from the physical form of neighborhoods and buildings, to the systems, components and products used to create and maintain them. Building owners, facility managers, purchasers and designers need guidance to help them identify and select the best options - be it the design of neighborhoods and buildings, mechanical system and lighting options, interior finishes, environmental services products, or anything in between.&nbsp;This paper summarizes healthy building standards and how each of them address health and wellness in the built environment. &nbsp; Mon, 22 May 2017 16:09:35 -0500 Sustainability Finding Your Road to Sustainability /finding-your-road-sustainability <h4>By Stephen Ashkin</h4> September 23, 2013 | Formats: Article | Content Areas: Environmental Sanitation Operations | Tags: Sustainability, Waste Management and Sustainable Operations <hr /> There’s nothing complicated about the term Green Cleaning. It simply means cleaning to protect health without harming the environment. It can refer to the use of cleaning chemicals, tools, equipment, and other products that have a reduced impact on health and the environment when compared to conventional cleaning products used for the same purposes. It can also refer to methodologies and cleaning systems that incorporate these items. There are many benefits to Green Cleaning, and these benefits have become more apparent in recent years as a result of documentation and scientific evidence. For a variety of reasons, though, it has been more difficult for some sectors to embrace Green Cleaning strategies. Roadblocks to Adoption Because of its many benefits, education, commercial offices, and the hotel/hospitality industry have all moved quickly to adopt Green Cleaning strategies. Implementation at healthcare facilities, however, has been much slower. There are many reasons for healthcare’s slow adoption to embrace Green Cleaning. For one, healthcare facilities have far different cleaning needs than virtually any&nbsp;other type of facility. Consider the difference in these scenarios: while a school may become concerned if several children come down with the flu in a short period of time, a hospital could potentially have to shut down entire wards if there is a significant uptick in the number of healthcare associated infections (HAIs). Because of concerns about jeopardizing patient or staff health, many hospital administrators and infection prevention personnel are hesitant to make any changes to their cleaning practices or the type of cleaning products they select. Sustainability and Green Cleaning have become intertwined. How a product is made, the ingredients used in its formulation (whether they are from renewable sources), how it is packaged (with recycled and recyclable materials), even how concentrated it is, and the size of the container—all of these “green” characteristics support sustainability. Roadmap to Greener Healthcare&nbsp; So how can more healthcare facilities implement Green Cleaning strategies given the concerns and the roadblocks they face? The following is a roadmap for institutions interested in developing a Green Cleaning program. This two-pronged roadmap includes a care-zone&nbsp;approach to cleaning, followed by selecting the appropriate products. The first step when it comes to implementing a Green Cleaning program in healthcare facilities starts by dividing a facility into three key zones: Non-critical care zones: Includes administrative areas, meeting rooms, shopping areas as well as entryways, hallways, and others areas in most buildings. Due to the concerns of many infection prevention professionals, hospitals often begin their Green Cleaning initiative by focusing on those areas with the lowest risk to health. These areas often represent as much as 70–90 percent of the hospitals square footage. Critical care zones: These areas are occupied by the most vulnerable occupants including some patient rooms, surgical areas, ambulances, and emergency rooms. These critical-care zones require intensive cleaning in terms of time and effort due to the associated risk of harm to patients and other building occupants in these areas, as compared to the semi-critical and non-critical zones. Semi-critical care zones: Areas such as restrooms, physical therapy rooms, non-emergency clinics, and patient areas where a high level of sanitation is needed, though not necessarily disinfection. The&nbsp;process of identifying which areas are assigned to this zone is typically completed after assigning the critical care and non-critical care zones. Once those at the extreme have been assigned, often those areas left over are assigned to this zone. Success in healthcare is often associated with just getting started. Beginning in the non-critical care zone is easiest because it is often the first place to gain support from infection control and other departments because the risk of harm to patients is the lowest. This also allows for products to be tested for performance, identify proper&nbsp;dilution rates, train environmental service personnel, and address cost-related issues. Keep in mind that healthcare facilities can reduce environmental impacts associated with the cleaning program without changing its use of chemicals and disinfectants. Often starting by greening general cleaners, carpet and floor care products, sanitary paper, equipment, plastic trashcan liners, and other products. There are numerous ways to impact sustainability in the healthcare setting that don’t require a sudden change in service providers, and products and services used. Selecting Products While it has been a relatively slow process, more healthcare facilities are finding ways to green their operations. Organizations such as 91��and Practice Greenhealth have helped move this process along immeasurably in healthcare, while other organizations promote similar programs in specific segments such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System for Existing Buildings (LEED-EBOM) for office buildings, the Healthy Schools Campaign in schools, and the Green Sports Alliance in sporting stadiums and athletic venues. And each of these organizations provides recommendations on standards that can be used to identify greener cleaning products and equipment. For example, LEED-EBOM provides a comprehensive list of independent third-party standards from Green Seal, EcoLogo, Ecoform, EPA’s Design for the Environment Program, and the Carpet &amp; Rug Institute that validate the health and environmental attributes, along with product performance, which makes it easier to buy products with confidence. Plus, hundreds of suppliers of cleaning products use these standards, which means that the products are widely available and competition has made them very cost effective. The approach of dividing a hospital into care zones and using the most appropriate chemicals, as well as other important components of a comprehensive Green Cleaning program such as high-filtration vacuums, micro-fiber cloths and mops, sanitary paper made from recycled or rapidly renewable fibers, and new technologies including vapor cleaners and devices that turn water into an effective cleaning and sanitizing solution, can all help achieve our goal of creating safer and healthier indoor environments while reducing negative environmental impacts. Mon, 23 Sep 2013 09:35:00 -0500 Sustainability