B� NANCY COHEN SPECIA� TO HEA�TH ��A�TE��Y
GOING GREEN
N�rth �erse� H�s�itals Set the Standards ��r Sustaina�ilit� inHealth�are
Green Initiatives �o�er Operational Costs �hile Helping Environment
Every April on Earth Day , we celebrate the wonders of nature as aworldwide eventinsupportof our global effortstoward cleanair , land , water and environmental protection .
As integral membersof the community , environmental sustainability efforts in hospitals contribute to ahealthier earth and improve the organization ’ s public perception . Improving the hospital environment impacts the livesof patients , theirfamilies and staff and creates a cultural awareness towards lasting change for the greater good of future generations . Environmentalsustainability is also good business , helping lower operational costs and allowing hospitals to direct more resources to patient care .
Northern New Jersey hospitals have taken giant steps to “ go green ” and to become environmentally friendly institutions through vision , careful planning and thecommitment of teams of professionals .
ATLANTIC HEALTH �Y�TEM
“ BuildingHealthierCommunities ” has ledAtlantic Health System on a journey to be a leader in sustainability . �edbyCarolyn Brown-Dancy , Director of Environmental Health and Safety , the Corporate Green Team collaborates with site-based teams to carry out the healthcaresystem ’ s greenmission . Atlantic Health System ’ s obligation to do no harm totheir patients extends to theenvironmentaswell . Theircreative and bold approach begins with tackling some of the most challenging areas to make healthcare moreenvironmentallyfriendly . Forthese efforts , Atlantic Health System has been awarded the 2020 Governor ’ sEnvironmental Excellence Awardand the System forChange Award
from Practice Greenhealth , earning top honor for its Overlook Medical Center . Operatingrooms �ORs� arelarge contributors to a healthcare facility ’ s environmental footprint . Operating room specific initiativesincluding OR recycling programs and the installation of energy efficient�ED lightingcreated significant cost savings and sustainability improvements . The hospital is also in the final stagesof installing atri-generation power plant at Morristown Medical Center ; the same system used by Overlook Medical Center whichhas hadasignificant impactonits carbon footprint .
To reduce carbon emissions , the hospital has mobilized a shuttle service for
PHOTOS CO��TESY O� AT�A�TIC HEA�TH SYSTEM
Atlantic Health System�s Overloo� Medical Center repurposes surgical �lue �rap into reusa�le totes , ponchosand sleeping �ags , some of �hich have�een donated to Summit�s homeless . A�oveare , fromleft , Christopher Cotter and �amond Mangaroo of SummitHelping Its People �SHIP��ith Overloo� Medical Center�s Melissa �onassisa andTamiOchs . At left , Ochs prepares the surgical�lue�rap .
team members from the train station to work sites and between parking lots . They are committed to a comprehensive waste recycling program that goeswell beyond traditional materials . The medical centers have exceeded national benchmarks , recycling between 19-26� or more of their total waste . Since 2019 , they have been repurposing surgical blue wrap into reusable totes , ponchos and sleeping bags , some of which has been donated to Summit ’ s homeless .“ Now more than ever , it ’ s essential for healthcare providers to find innovative ways to use the supplieswehave ,” says Brown-Dancy . “ Our commitment to our planet is a responsibility we take to heart
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