From eMDE, Maryland Department of the Environment’s (MDE) online newsletter:

Maryland Hospitals Honored for “Environmental Excellence”
by Laura Armstrong, Pollution Prevention Coordinator

An Anne Arundel County hospital that built a “green” tower and two other facilities that developed programs to dispose of pharmaceutical waste are among the winners of Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment’s 2010 Trailblazer Awards.

The awards are presented annually to Maryland hospitals that have shown leadership in advancing sustainability in a particular area of their operations. The winners are strong models for other hospitals striving to advance sustainable health care by reducing their environmental footprint and raising the bar on achieving improved results.

Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (MD H2E) is a grant-funded technical assistance and networking initiative that promotes sustainability in Maryland health care. The Maryland Department of the Environment has supported MD H2E with grants for mercury and PVC audits at seven hospitals and recently partnered with the group to fund energy audits at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital.

MD H2E announced the 2010 Trailblazer Awards at the group’s annual Environmental Excellence in Health Care Conference Nov. 18 at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. The winners are:

Anne Arundel Medical Center

Anne Arundel Medical Center for designing and building an eight-story “green” tower that emphasizes the well-being of its patients, staff, community, and surrounding ecosystem. The green building will be the first acute care facility in Maryland to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification. The tower will use significantly less energy and water, and fewer toxic products and building materials were used during construction than have been used in similar structures. During construction, 92.6 percent of waste materials were recycled.

Franklin Square Hospital Center for being the first Maryland hospital to develop and implement an Environmental Management System as a method for reducing environmental impacts. Also, as part of MedStar Health, Franklin Square began a hazardous pharmaceutical waste management program in 2007 that, as of this year, is fully operational system-wide. Finally, while designing and building their new Patient Care Tower and Emergency Department, Franklin Square Hospital Center implemented a multitude of LEED-compliant features. Franklin Square Hospital participated in MDE’s Environmental Management System Implementation Program in 2008-2009.

LifeBridge Health

LifeBridge Health acquired grant funding from BGE to replace fluorescent lights with LED lamps. Since implementing the program, LifeBridge Health staff members have served as mentors, providing assistance to staff at several other Maryland hospitals in an effort to duplicate their energy successes. LifeBridge is the only health system in the region that is composting at all of its facilities. They use the “final compost product” for landscaping needs at system facilities. Finally, LifeBridge Health has a system-wide regulated medical waste separation and reduction program that reduced red bag waste by more than 50 percent since 2002, including a fluid waste management system for operating rooms at Sinai Hospital.

University of Maryland Medical Center

University of Maryland Medical Center developed a hazardous pharmaceutical waste management program in January 2010 to uphold its mission to provide health care with minimum impact to human health and the environment. The policy, “The Safe Handling and Disposal of Hazardous Medications,” addresses both worker and environmental safety. Since the program’s inception, the Medical Center has collected 3,510 pounds of hazardous pharmaceutical waste for proper disposal. The policies, program, and educational materials are easily transferable to other hospitals across the state of Maryland.

An article from the Howard County Times examines the effectiveness of – and problems with – Howard County’s green building legislation, the first in the state. Howard County General Hospital’s new Medical Pavilion is highlighted, having recently been recognized for “Pioneering Sustainability.”

Howard County seeing green building construction trend

From the article, by Kellie Woodhouse:

The new Medical Pavilion, a 167,000-square-foot structure on the campus of Howard County General Hospital, has all the features of a green building – a rainwater drainage system, a white roof that reflects sunlight and more.

Last week, the Maryland chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council recognized the Columbia building for “Pioneering Sustainability in a Medical Facility” at an awards ceremony in Baltimore.

Two-and-a-half years after Howard County became the first jurisdiction in the state to mandate environmentally friendly features for large projects, green buildings like the Medical Pavilion are popping up in Columbia, North Laurel and Elkridge.

…

Stuart Kaplow, an attorney and chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council: Maryland Chapter, praised Howard County for its “forward-thinking” legislation.

He said that green building was becoming increasingly embraced by builders nationwide.

“In 2005, less than 2 percent of the nonresidential construction in this country was green. In 2010, it appears that number will exceed 25 percent,” Kaplow said. “It’s shocking. Real estate doesn’t move that quickly; it’s a slow moving industry.”

…

WHAT MAKES A GREEN BUILDING?

Medical Pavilion at Howard County, Columbia

* Plants fed by rainwater drainage from the roof

* White roof reflects heat

* Fuel-efficient cars receive priority parking

* Construction waste was recycled and construction materials came from distributors close to the project to decrease fuel for shipping

· LED Lighting and Waste Life Cycles, LifeBridge Health

April 19th, 12:00 – 5:00 pm

2401 West Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215

April 19th, 12:00 – 5:00 pm

As a winner of MD H2E’s 2010 Trailblazer Awards, LifeBridge Health is hosting an afternoon session April 19^th on their sustainable successes. Come to learn, network with your peers, and more!

On the menu:

• LED Lighting
• Composting
• Greening the OR:
• OR Waste Streams and Recycling
• Fluid Management Systems

LifeBridge Health is a leader in environmental sustainability in Maryland and accordingly has dealt creatively with incorporating sustainability into everyday operations. First, in an effort to reduce energy costs, LifeBridge acquired grant funding from Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) to replace fluorescent lights with LED lamps. Since implementing the program, the staff at LifeBridge health has acted as mentors, providing assistance to several Maryland hospitals in an effort to duplicate its energy successes. Second, LifeBridge is now the only health system in the region composting at all of its facilities. In addition to composting food waste, LifeBridge Health is closing the loop on recycling by using the “final compost product” for landscaping needs at system facilities. Finally, LifeBridge Health has a system-wide regulated medical waste separation and reduction program that has reduced red bag waste by well over half since 2002, including a fluid waste management system at Sinai Hospital for operating rooms.

Please RSVP to trailblazer@son.umaryland.edu by April 12^th

Priority is given to employees from any hospital or health system.

This is the third in an ongoing Trailblazer education series.

· Environmental Management Systems (EMS), Franklin Square — May 24

· Integrated Pest Management, Springfield Hospital Center— June 21

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This past year, LifeBridge Health acquired grant funding from Baltimore Gas & Electric to replace fluorescent lights in all non-clinical areas with LED lamps, switching 9,200 lamps and donating approximately 4,000 of the outgoing fluorescents and 2,000 ballasts to a Baltimore-based non-profit organization for reuse. The LED bulbs add a minimum of 3.42 years of life and reduce heat generation at the bulb 10 degrees compared to the fluorescents previously in place, further reducing energy costs for temperature control. This was Phase 1 of the program. Phase 2, in which more areas will switch from fluorescent bulbs, is slated to begin in 2011. LifeBridge was the first health system in the region to enact such a program.

LifeBridge Health assisted its offsite properties in making similar strides, subsidizing recycling and reviewing contracts, such as a forthcoming, cost-saving contract for LifeBridge Health and Fitness. The health system has also consulted with neighboring hospitals on ways to duplicate its energy successes.

LifeBridge Health is working to close the loop on waste life cycles. The only health system in the region composting at all its facilities, LifeBridge Health composted more than 100 tons of organic waste from food prep and patient trays in 2009. In May, two LifeBridge facilities – Courtland Gardens Rehabilitation Center and Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital – began receiving the compost to use in therapeutic patient activities, and this fall, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore plans to use 10 yards of compost to fertilize its flower beds!

LifeBridge Health has been greening the OR since 2002, when it began a system-wide regulated medical waste (RMW) separation and reduction program. By creating distinct waste streams for generators, educating them with signage and in-services trainings, and continually tracking and monitoring the process, LifeBridge Health was able to reduce red bag waste by well over half. As the RMW program matured, LifeBridge Health sought further opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle, focusing on the operating room as the largest generator of infectious waste. In early 2007, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore began using the Neptune Stryker fluid management system in all five ORs of the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, where irrigation needs are high. The completely closed system protects practitioners from surgical fluids and minimizes the environmental and fiscal impacts of red bag waste by eliminating the need for bulky canisters. The OR began recycling pre-case blue wrap and mixed plastics three years ago. Today, all three OR waste streams (recycling, clear and red bag) can be separated not only before but also during and after a case. LifeBridge Health continues to expand and improve its separation of infectious and recyclable materials from the municipal waste stream and prioritizes reducing its impact on environmental health among staff, patients and the greater community.

When Laurie Savage started to write an article for Lancaster Farming’s Southern Edition about Maryland hospitals, she soon discovered there was too much going on to cover in one article. Instead, what resulted was a 3 part series in the weekly paper, each with front page coverage. The first, “Maryland Health Care Facilities Buy Local Food,” published January 1st, mentions our USDA grant worth $100,620 that Louise Mitchell secured this year. This grant is enabling Louise and MD H2E’s sustainable food staff to work with more Maryland facilities to purchase sustainable, locally sourced produce and meat. Savage also brings attention to the Healthy Food in Health Care pledge, the Balanced Menus Challenge and the Buy Local Challenge. She writes, “Collectively, this year, the facilities spent more than $15,000 during the week on foods from local farms, including fruits, vegetables, eggs and meat.” To read the rest of the article and learn more about MD H2E’s food initiatives, go to:

http://www.lancasterfarming.com/results/Maryland-Health-Care-Facilities-Buy-Local-Food

“A Healthy Relationship,” featured in Lancaster Farming’s January 8th edition, focuses more on the hospitals, highlighting Union Hospital of Cecil County, Carroll Hospital Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, Meritus Medical Center and Sinai Hospital. Union Hospital and Carroll Hospital both served local sustainable turkey for Thanksgiving, which employees and patients raved about. Meritus Medical Center, meanwhile, is reducing food waste in the kitchen by saving their scraps for a local hog farm. Sinai Hospital buys local food from one of Baltimore’s first urban farms, Real Food Farm. There are so many different ways that a hospital can serve delicious sustainable food while supporting the local economy. For more, go to:

http://www.lancasterfarming.com/results/A-Healthy-Relationship

The final article in the series, published January 15th, is titled, “Beefing Up His Business.” Showcased is Liberty Delight Farms in Reisterstown, MD, which exclusively provides beef to Union Hospital of Cecil County. Shane Hughes, who runs the farm with his cousin, connected with the hospital at last January’s Buyers-Growers Meeting, run by the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Buying directly from the farmer can save money, especially when purchasing a whole animal. Savage writes, “Training will be needed to show hospitals how to use more parts of an animal, including unfamiliar cuts, organ meats and bones to make soups and stock. Different hospitals will be able to implement the whole-animal concept in different ways, depending upon their facilities.” To help accomplish this, MD H2E is working on a survey for hospitals “to determine which cuts they would purchase and how much they would purchase from farmers and… what standards should be implemented.” For more:

http://www.lancasterfarming.com/results/0115S-Hospitals3

Shane Hughes of Liberty Delight Farms; Union Hospital of Cecil County purchases its beef exclusively from him.

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MD H2E Trailblazer Education Series

You are invited to attend University of Maryland Medical Center’s

Hazardous Pharmaceutical Waste Management Session

As a winner of MD H2E’s 2010 Trailblazer Awards, UMMC is hosting an afternoon session on their pharmaceutical waste program. Come learn, lunch and more!

UMMC developed a new hazardous pharmaceutical waste management program in January 2010. Titled, “The Safe Handling and Disposal of Hazardous Medications”, the policy addresses both worker and environmental safety.

The session will be led by Denise Choiniere, MS, RN and Bethany Shelbourne, PharmD, and is an excellent opportunity to ask questions and learn the nitty-gritty of developing and implementing such a program.

Hazardous Pharmaceutical Waste Management, University of Maryland Medical Center

Lipitz Board Room, Executive Office, Gudelsky Building, 1st Floor

22 South Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

February 15th, 12:30 —3:00 pm

Space is limited, so please RSVP to trailblazer@son.umaryland.edu by February 8^th

Priority is given to employees of any hospital or healthcare system.

This session is free. Lunch will be provided.

This is the first in an ongoing Trailblazer education series.

· Building a LEED Silver Tower, Anne Arundel Medical Center

March 23rd, 1:00 —4:00 pm

· LED Lighting and Waste Life Cycles, LifeBridge Health

April 19th, 12:00 – 5:00 pm

· Environmental Management Systems (EMS), Franklin Square — TBD

· Integrated Pest Management, Springfield Hospital Center—TBD

MD H2E Trailblazer Education Series

-

You are invited to attend University of Maryland Medical Center’s

Hazardous Pharmaceutical Waste Management Session

As a winner of MD H2E’s 2010 Trailblazer Awards, UMMC is hosting an afternoon session on their pharmaceutical waste program. Come learn, lunch and more!

UMMC developed a new hazardous pharmaceutical waste management program in January 2010. Titled, “The Safe Handling and Disposal of Hazardous Medications”, the policy addresses both worker and environmental safety.

The session will be led by Denise Choiniere, MS, RN and Bethany Shelbourne, PharmD, and is an excellent opportunity to ask questions and learn the nitty-gritty of developing and implementing such a program.

Hazardous Pharmaceutical Waste Management, University of Maryland Medical Center

Lipitz Board Room, Executive Office, Gudelsky Building, 1st Floor

22 South Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

February 15th, 12:30 —3:00 pm

Space is limited, so please RSVP to trailblazer@son.umaryland.edu by February 8^th

Priority is given to employees of any hospital or healthcare system.

This session is free. Lunch will be provided.

This is the first in an ongoing Trailblazer education series.

· Building a LEED Silver Tower, Anne Arundel Medical Center

March 23rd, 1:00 —4:00 pm

· LED Lighting and Waste Life Cycles, LifeBridge Health

April 19th, 12:00 – 5:00 pm

· Environmental Management Systems (EMS), Franklin Square — TBD

· Integrated Pest Management, Springfield Hospital Center—TBD

Click here to read our MDH2E December 2010 News Roundup

It’s been just two weeks since our MD H2E annual conference, and we’ve heard wonderful feedback. Thanks to all who came and made it such a success! Check out our December MD H2E newsletter for photos, links to conference presentations and to follow up with exhibitors.

Also in this newsletter:

-          Trailblazer Award Winners

-          Upcoming Nurses Dinner

-          CleanMed 2011 Presentation Submission

Contact:  Ruth Berlin

410-849-8069 (office)

410-693-7319 (cell)

mpnberlin@gmail.com

MARYLAND HOSPITAL HONORED FOR GROUND-BREAKING

PESTICIDE-FREE APPROACH TO PEST MANAGEMENT

Baltimore, MD – The Integrated Pest Management in Health Care Facilities Project has honored Springfield Hospital Center (Sykesville, MD) and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene  for their outstanding achievement in creating a “green pest management” campus through the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles and practices that minimize the use of toxic chemicals in controlling pests.

The Integrated Pest Management in Health Care Facilities Project is a partnership between the Maryland Pesticide Network and Beyond Pesticides, in collaboration with Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (MDH2E). The award was presented at the MDH2E annual Environmental Excellence in Healthcare Conference held Nov. 18, 2010 at the University of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore. Springfield’s Chief Executive Officer, Paula Langmead, and Deputy Secretary of Behavioral Health and Disabilities for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Renata Henry, on behalf of Secretary John M. Colmers, accepted the awards.

Least-toxic IPM in hospitals, elder care facilities, special needs schools, and other health care settings protects vulnerable populations at highest risk from the toxic effects of chemical pesticide use. As outlined in the Project’s 2008 report, Taking Toxics Out of Maryland’s Health Care Sector, the most vulnerable populations are unknowingly exposed to toxic pesticides in most Maryland health-care facilities because of their use of toxic chemical pesticides associated with a range of negative health effects, including certain cancers, nervous system damage, respiratory illnesses, birth defects, Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Disease, autism and endocrine disruption.

“We appreciate the leadership of Springfield Hospital Center and the State of Maryland’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in removing toxic materials from its pest management program, and protecting the health of patients, staff and the environment”, said Ruth Berlin, executive director of the Maryland Pesticide Network, a coalition of 25 organizations in Maryland concerned about the impact of pesticides on public health and the environment.

“Springfield has proven that it is possible to protect patients and staff from both pests and toxic pesticides. It serves as a model for the health care industry and the public in the state of Maryland and the nation.”

““Health care facilities share a commitment to the well-being of those they serve, and it makes no sense for these facilities to use products that can cause diseases and conditions it seeks to cure or prevent” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides, a national community-based organization of grassroots groups. “The IPM in Health Care Facilities Project is helping to move the health care sector in Maryland into the forefront of green pest management, serving as a model for non-toxic approaches to building and land management.”

The Project’s mission is to educate the health care industry about the dangers posed by pesticide exposure and to offer viable alternatives to reduce pest populations and pesticide applications by introducing IPM as a greening initiative that advances an atmosphere of environmental stewardship, social responsibility and fiscal security. Springfield was chosen by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to participate in the groundbreaking IPM pilot project in 2006.

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Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment

Announces Trailblazer Award Winners

For Immediate Release: November 18, 2010

Contact:  Patricia Adams

410-706-4115 (office)

410-458-9332 (cell)

padams@son.umaryland.edu

Baltimore, MD – Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (MD H2E) announced the winners of their 2010 Trailblazer Awards at their annual Environmental Excellence in Health Care Conference, held today at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. MD H2E presents the awards each year to Maryland hospitals that have shown leadership in advancing sustainability in a particular area (or areas) of their operations.  The winners represent strong models for other hospitals that are advancing sustainable health care by reducing their environmental footprint and raising the bar on achieving improved results.

The 2010 Trailblazer Award winners are:

Anne Arundel Medical Center (AMMC) – AMMC is designing and building an eight-story “green” tower that emphasizes the well-being of its patients, staff, community, and surrounding eco-system.  The green building will be the first acute care facility in Maryland to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification. The tower will use significantly less energy and water, and fewer toxic products and building materials will be used during construction than have been used in similar structures. During the course of construction, an impressive 92.6% of waste materials were recycled.

Franklin Square Hospital Center (FSHC) – FSHC is the first Maryland hospital to develop and implement an Environmental Management System as a method for reducing environmental impacts.  Also, as part of MedStar Health, FSHC began a hazardous pharmaceutical waste management program in 2007 that, as of this year, is fully operational system-wide. Finally, while designing and building their new Patient Care Tower and Emergency Department, FSHC implemented a multitude of LEED-compliant features.

LifeBridge Health – A leader in environmental sustainability in Maryland, LifeBridge Health acquired grant funding from Baltimore Gas and Electric to replace fluorescent lights with LED lamps. Since implementing the program, LifeBridge Health staff members have served as mentors, providing assistance to staff at several other Maryland hospitals in an effort to duplicate their energy successes. LifeBridge is the only health system in the region that is composting at all of its facilities. They use the “final compost product” for landscaping needs at system facilities. Finally, LifeBridge Health has a system-wide regulated medical waste separation and reduction program that reduced red bag waste by more than 50 percent since 2002, including a fluid waste management system for operating rooms at Sinai Hospital.

University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) – In keeping with its mission to provide health care with minimum impact to human health and the environment, UMMC developed a hazardous pharmaceutical waste management program in January 2010. The policy, “The Safe Handling and Disposal of Hazardous Medications,” addresses both worker and environmental safety.  Since the program’s inception, UMMC has collected 3,510 pounds of hazardous pharmaceutical waste for proper disposal.  The policies, program, and educational materials are easily transferable to other hospitals across the state of Maryland.

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Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment is a grant-funded technical assistance and networking initiative that promotes sustainability in Maryland health care. (http://www.mdh2e.org)