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With today’s heightened state of environmental consciousness, it’s little wonder so many businesses are taking a closer look at their processes and practices, seeking ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
And considering how much waste is generated by our nation’s hospitals—2.4 million tons annually, to be exact, according to Practice Greenhealth—and the fact that health care is the fourth highest energy consumer, it only makes sense that health care organizations are beginning to take notice.
Every department in a health care system can play a key role in making their organization a greener place; and the best part is that many of the actions with the most immediate impact—environmentally, financially or otherwise—also are among the easiest to implement.
“Even small changes add up to big improvements, and many of those changes can take place right in the sterile processing department,” says Tracy Humphreys, manager of central sterile, Metro Health Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Working for the hospital, which is one of only a handful in the nation to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, and having assisted with the design of Metro Health’s new central sterile department (the new Metro Health opened in September 2007), Humphreys certainly speaks from experience.
To earn LEED certification, hospitals must take a whole building approach that targets sustainable site development, water and energy conservation, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality, all areas that continue to be factored into the daily operations of the central sterile department.
Specifically, the department’s core green initiatives composed of reducing water and electricity consumption by purchasing automated, utility-conserving instrument washing equipment; eliminating ethylene oxide by purchasing low- temperature sterilization technologies (both ozone and gas plasma); reducing blue-wrap waste and cost by transitioning to rigid container systems; and switching to environmentally-friendly chemical detergents and disinfectants. These initiatives provided nearly immediate cost savings and made them an easy sell to administrators.
As Humphreys explained, moving to rigid containers saved the hospital nearly $4 per large tray on supply costs alone, and because it now takes less time to assemble a tray, reduced labor translates into even more savings.
To further reduce blue wrap waste, the central sterile department purchased more rigid containers for loaner trays (which are clearly marked as loaners), and when the wrap must be used, it’s recycled.
When looking for ways to “green up” central sterile, Humphreys suggests tackling some of the more obvious things first, such as switching to microfiber mopheads that last longer and require less water, eliminating aerosol products, turning lights off in areas of the department when not in use (Metro Health’s lights are sensored, so they turn on and off automatically), and continuously evaluating new products and equipment that can make an environmental and organizational impact.
“If you’re going to replace an autoclave, washer or other piece of equipment, for example, start thinking about replacing it with one that requires less energy, water and chemicals to operate,” she says, adding that even if an item costs more initially, the rapid return on investment can make it a smart move.
In Metro Health’s case, eliminating costly EtO outsourcing by switching to ozone and gas plasma sterilizers was not only a smart green decision, it also resulted in an ROI in just two years and two months.
Keeping her eyes open for eco-friendly alternatives is an important part of Humphreys’ job. She frequently researches new products online and sits on a product review committee.
She also is a firm believer that attending trade shows and regularly flipping through health care magazines is one of the best ways to stay abreast of the latest product offerings.
“Even if a greener product costs a bit more initially, you often don’t need as much of it to do the job, so in the long run, it’s actually less expensive,” Humphreys says. “[Facilities] may be surprised by all the ways they can benefit from going green.”
Richard W. Schule
Director, clinical sterile processes
Clarian Health Partners
Methodist Hospital, B360/Mail A2375
1701 N. Senate Blvd.
Indianapolis, IN 46206
(317) 962-6430
rschule@clarian.org
This article first appeared in the September 2008 issue of Materials Management in Health Care.
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