Health

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ― Hospitals are doing their part to cut health care costs by cutting back on their waste. At Fairview Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis, management and medical staff are on a mission to help the bottom line by helping the environment.

Dr. Rafael Andrade is a thoracic surgeon who not only fixes bodies, he's also fighting waste.

"Waste has always been a concern of mine," said Andrade.

As a child growing up in Mexico, he vowed to clean up the environment. Little did he know that once he entered the medical profession he would have that chance right there in the operating room.

"There are a lot of things in here that we don't need ... All of that is plastic and gets thrown away," the doctor says as he points to a table full of sterilized and sealed surgical packs. They contain everything doctors and nurses need for performing specific operations. Problem is, those kits also have more than what's often needed.

By eliminating unnecessary items from these surgical kits, things like sterilized plastic light handles to screw into overhead surgical lights, there's less plastic going into incinerators and less money being spent.

Andrade said those handles are many times not needed because lights don't need adjustment when doctors perform laparoscopic surgeries.

"By taking these out of the most commonly performed laparoscopic procedures we'd be saving about 3,000 of theses a year," Andrade explains.

System-wide, Fairview Hospitals has formed "green committees." That's an effort to get both money and earth saving ideas from everyone on staff. Ideas are pouring in from nurses, aides, doctors and maintenance staffers.

"A lot of our meeting rooms have been retrofitted with occupancy sensor switches," said Robb Gruman, Fairview Southdale's vice president of facilities.

By installing the infrared and motion sensors in all non-patient areas of the hospital, such as conference and storage rooms, it will greatly reduce energy consumption. Gruman expects a yearly savings of around $30,000 the first year.

David Fashant is director of facility services and explains how all 19,000 florescent light bulbs have been switched over to lower wattage bulbs.

However, it's not just electrical savings they're after. The hospital is also cutting down on its water usage. All sinks, faucets, showers and toilets are being retrofitted with low flow valves and fixtures. That will save in the neighborhood of 12 to 16 million gallons of water a year.

Even cafeteria customers will help out. All sandwich, fruit, salad and desert containers are being switched from throw away Styrofoam to biodegradable. Instead of using cups at the beverage fountain, customers and staff are encouraged to purchase a reusable bottle. To make it worthwhile, they're given a 5 percent discount on their purchase.

"We're taking advantage of those when and if they're available. And trying to make sure that we're doing our part as a corporate citizen to look for green initiatives here in our hospital that make sense for us here in health care," said Gruman.

In addition, five of the hospital's main air handlers have been replaced to reduce power consumption further. Combined with a new heat recovery system used to pre-warm outside air, the hospital expects total energy savings of around $150,000 per year.

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