Closing Remarks

Christine Malcolm, Kaiser Permanente
Sustainability – not the main priority for the very top decisionmakers (yet).
Thanks for all being done, but more needs to be done.
If we don’t do it, it won’t get done.
We need to reach out to out bosses and boards, and create links between this conference and the efforts of all healthcare leaders.
Current [...]

Future of Sustainability in Healthcare: GHSI

Future of Sustainability in Healthcare: GHSI
The Global Health and Safety Initiative
Pat Burdullis, Catholic Healthcare West
Kathy Gerwig, Kaiser Permanente
Robin Guenther, Perkins and Will
Bob McCoole, Ascension Health
Bob Eisenman, Global Health and Safety Initiative
Christina Ayers, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Bob Eisenman
New strategy to combine environmental and sustainability movement with hospital concern about patient safety.
The case for change
- Patient safety – [...]

Energy Purchasing: Clean and Green Energy Procurement

Facilitator: Gina Pugliese, Premier
Nick DeDominicis, Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange
Tom Hawes, World Energy
Walter Vernon, Mazzetti and Associates
Jeffrey Keyak, Kaiser Permanente
Hospitals can begin reducing their disproportionate contribution to climate change by participating in the Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange (HCEE) for the procurement of energy and environmental commodities at prices significantly lower than the prices found on the [...]

Concurrent Panels

Panel discussions are underway focusing on these topics:
E1. Defining the 21st Century Hospital
E2. Industrialized Food Systems and Public Health
E3. Construction and Demolition Recycling Successes
E4. Growing Wealth, Growing Health
E5. Energy Purchasing:  Clean and Green Energy Procurement
Feel free to start a separate thread on one of these, or contribute comments below.

Working Together for Sustainability

Facilitator, Janet Brown of Practice Greenhealth
Cecilia DeLoach of Practice Greenhealth
Rachel Wenger of Catholic Healthcare West
Cecilia DeLoach
MBA programs are now including environmental issues.  Social equity and governance are also being discussed.
Sustainable Development and Triple Bottom Line (People, Profit, Planet) are other names for CSR.
85% of execs see importance of environmental impact (up from 41% in 1999)
Climate [...]

Concurrent Panels

Panel discussions are underway focusing on these topics:
D1. Transitioning Away From PVC to safer Alternatives
D2. Human Health Impacts of Intensive Animal Agriculture
D3. Working Together for Sustainability
D4. Pharmaceutical Management Models
D5. Climate Change 401:  Ecological Footprint
Feel free to start a separate thread on one of these, or contribute comments below.

Reducing the Use of Toxic and Untested Chemicals in Products

There’s Gotta Be A Better way:  Participatory Workshop on Reducing the Use of Toxic and Untested Chemicals in Products
Lara Sutherland, Practice Greenhealth
Participatory workshop where about 50 particpants are sitting in a large circle.  Everyone is given a colored piece of paper by role -
Yellow- procurement
Red – provider
Purple- advocacy group
Green – Supplier
True and false questions about [...]

Concurrent Panels

Panel discussions are underway focusing on these topics:
C1.  Improving Energy Effectiveness in Health Care
C2. There’s Gotta Be A Better way:  Participatory Workshop on Reducing the Use of Toxic and Untested Chemicals in Products
C3. Engagement:  The Key to Environmental Responsibility
C4. Reducing Chemical Exposure Through Purchasing:  Case Studies in Green Cleaners and Integrated Pest management
C5. Regulated Medical [...]

Innovations in Sustainable Healthcare Food Service

Marydale DeBor discussed how New Milford Hospital, a regional hospital which was the largest employer in the area, came to promote sustainable health food service programs.
Here are some of their actions:
* “Health=Local Food” T-shirts created for kids.
* Opposition to farm bill promoted among legilslators
* Plow-to-Plate program set up with chef
* Coordination with local small farms, [...]

Concurrent Panels

Panel discussions are underway focusing on these topics:
B1. Raising Awareness about Exposures and Advocacy
B2. Greening the Red Bag – Single Use Device Reprocessing and Success
B3. Define and Conquer – Accomplishing Green Healthcare Projects
B4. Greening the NICU and Beyond – Pediatric Hospitals Highlight Green Advances
B5. Innovations in Sustainable Healthcare Food Service – Case Studies
Feel free to [...]

David Orr Keynote

Keynote by David Orr, Ph.D. on global climate instability.  We have, at best, ten years to reverse the CO2 emissions trend.  We will have trauma, which cannot be avoided anymore, but catastrophe still can be avoided.
We spent 99% of our national security budget on military issues, but global climate issues also are national security issues.
This [...]

Concurrent Panels

Panel discussions are underway focusing on these topics:
A1. Creating Healing Environments:  Case Studies
A2. Achieving Food Credits in the Green Guide for Healthcare Construction
A3. Climate Change 101:  The Law of Greenhouse Gases, Threats to Public Health, and Clinical Implications
A4. Electronics Purchasing, Management and Disposal:  An Overlooked Opportunity to Reduce Your Ecological Footprint
A5. Taking the “Toxic” Out [...]

Greening Health Care in Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has over a million members covered by health insurance, 2600 npatients per day, 8000 outpatients per day, 16 hospitals, 400 facilities, 5000 doctors and 48000 healthcare workers.
UPMC is the largest employer in the Pittsburgh area, so when they took a stand to promote a sustainable business model, it had [...]

Teresa Heinz – opening plenary

Gary Cohen opened the conference by welcoming participants and introducing Teresa Heinz.
Gary reminded us that, “This confernce is not a spectator sport.  We have a lot of work to do.  We are midwives for a global movement to promote environmental health.”
Teresa Heinz has been a longtime promoter of environmental health, women’s health, and sustainable healthcare-related [...]

Practice Greenhealth Awards Dinner

The dinner is underway, and for those of you at home who are wondering who the awardees are, here is the complete list of 2008 awardees.
The dinner started off with PGH Executive Director Bob Jarboe introducing the staff and dignitaries, and thanking event sponsor Hospira.  Jamie Harvey next told some interesting anecdotes about how we [...]

Nurses Open Meeting

This thread is designed for comments specific to this CleanMed session.  If you have general comments about the conference or any CleanMed-related topic, you can start another thread.
This thread will stay open before, during and after the session so that participants have a place where they can leave comments, feedback, follow-up questions, and additional resource [...]

Nurses Workgroup Sessions

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This thread will stay open before, during and after the session so that participants have a place where they can leave comments, feedback, follow-up questions, and additional resource [...]

Healthy Food Workshop

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This thread will stay open before, during and after the session so that participants have a place where they can leave comments, feedback, follow-up questions, and additional resource [...]

LEED for Healthcare Training – Green Buildings

This thread is designed for comments specific to this CleanMed session.  If you have general comments about the conference or any CleanMed-related topic, you can start another thread.
This thread will stay open before, during and after the session so that participants have a place where they can leave comments, feedback, follow-up questions, and additional resource [...]

Liveblogging Welcome!

One exciting aspect of blogging is that you can share your thoughts with others immediately.  Over the next two days, feel free to share your thoughts about CleanMed activities before, during and after your sessions. 
We will create open threads for those who want to blog about the sessions scheduled for today.  Facilitators and participants then [...]