There is no such thing as a perfectly green facility. There are pockets of success and we can learn from those successes and build on them. From green building, to mercury elimination, healthier food choices, recycling and greener cleaners, hospitals and other organizations are transitioning to healthier, more efficient structures – through strong leadership and vision.
A mission should be more than a plaque hanging by the elevator – learn how health care facilities demonstrate commitment to health, safety, communities, staff, patients and the environment through taking action. By taking control of the by-products of their work practices, education and instituting change, health care organizations are seeing that a commitment to health requires taking a closer look at the way we do things. Learn the how-tos of environmental improvement from gathering data, to goal setting, program development, environmentally preferable purchasing, tracking and reporting and recognition. Learn how to fold environmental initiatives into the JCAHO structure and transition to a healthier work environment.
The good news is that a commitment to greener operations has shown numerous positive outcomes including cost savings, reduced liabilities, improved compliance, safety and happier neighbors -- A true healing environment.
Janet Brown, Partner Coordinator for Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E)(and former waste manager at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City) and H2E Partner Facility and H2E Award Winner Metro Health Care’s John Ebers will share environmental strategies and success stories.
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