Pilot Project Establishes Plastics Recycling Program in Rural Hospitals

A year ago, Good Shepherd Healthcare in Hermiston, Oregon, had no recycling program for its blue sterile plastic wrap because there were no local recyclers in the eastern Oregon community. To address this, OCEH coordinated a working group that focused on educating staff on recycling practices, identifying storage and collection containers, and brainstorming efficient ways to transport the materials to Portland. As a result, Good Shepherd was able to broker a transportation arrangement with Owens and Minor, a medical supplier. The system employs empty Owens and Minor delivery trucks returning to Portland from Hermiston, to backhaul Good Shepherd’s plastics and deliver them to Legacy Health System which has run a successful plastics recycling program for the past 15 years.

The Good Shepherd pilot has been so successful that the Hermiston hospital has expanded its plastics collection to a prison and five other hospitals in the region. Good Shepherd is currently collecting approximately 700 pounds of plastics per week. Because of this increased volume, City Garbage Service, a local recycler in La Grande has agreed to process the plastics which will enable more regional hospitals and other institutions to join in the pilot.

Oregon Hospitals Honored at H2E Awards

April 2006 - Seven Oregon hospitals were recognized among 190 healthcare recipients by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) for outstanding achievements in improving the healthcare industry’s environmental performance. Legacy Health System in Portland was among 14 hospitals presented with a Environmental Leadership Award, the nation’s highest environmental honor for hospitals. Kaiser Permanente Northwest Region, Oregon Health & Science University, Providence Newberg Hospital and Providence St. Vincent Medical Center were also honered with awards. Read the press release to learn more.

Regional Hospitals listed as top 10 greenest

March 2006 - Congratulations to the three regional hospitals, Kaiser Permanente (corporate headquarters, Oakland, CA), Legacy Health System Salmon Creek Hospital (Vancouver, WA), Providence Newberg Hospital (Newberg, OR) listed in Green Guide Magazine's calculation of the top 10 greenest hospitals in the U.S.!” Read the article.

Oregon Hospitals Phase Out Harmful Plastics

As part of our Health Care Without Harm Campaign, the Center convened a workshop of representatives from Oregon hospitals to discuss the latest science on the safety of PVC medical devices containing phthalates particularly among the most sensitive populations including neonatal infants. Several hospitals have committed to replacing potentially harmful devices and Neonatal Intensive Care Units at Sacred Heart Medical Center, Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Providence St. Vincent's already have had success in switching to alternatives. Learn more about PVC plastics and medical devices containing the phthalate DEHP.

Mercury Thermometer Exchange

Over 15,000 mercury thermometers have been exchanged for digital thermometers at community collections throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. For more information on organizing exchanges, contact OCEH or browse HCWH’s How to Plan and Put On a Mercury Thermometer Exchange

Center is selected to coordinate H2E

With support from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Oregon Center for Environmental Health has been selected to coordinate the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) Program for Northwest states including Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.

Neha Patel, Program Manager for OCEH, receives City's 2001 Pollution Prevention Award

Neha Patel, Program Manager at the Oregon Center for Environmental Health receives City's 2001 Pollution Prevention Award for her work with hospitals on the Health Care Without Harm Campaign. Portland City Council celebrated National Pollution Prevention Week by recognizing City staff and private citizens who have worked with the City to make significant contributions to pollution prevention in the past year.