Safety Program Environmental Initiatives

1
Safety Program Environmental Initiatives

• Dee Ann Cross, RN, MS
• Sr. Clinical Manager, Safety

2
Safety Positioning Statement

• Novation recognizes the critical importance of
  protecting the safety of patients, health care
  workers, and the environment.
• In effectively serving VHA and UHC member
  organizations, Novation will actively pursue the
  inclusion of safety-related products and programs
  in its portfolio of offerings, and collaborate
  with health care safety leaders to support the
  safety initiatives of the alliances.

3
Novations Areas of Safety

• Patient Safety
• Medication Safety
• Health Care Worker Safety
• Environmental Safety

4
Novations 2004 Plan for Safety

• Reintroduce the Safety/Quality Issue Resolution
  Process to VHA and UHC healthcare organizations
• Promote Novations commitment to the environment
  among staff and VHA and UHC member health care
  organizations
• Monitor the contracting process to ensure the
  continued incorporation of safety focused
  criteria

5
Commitment to Environmental Initiatives

• Inclusion of EPP language in the Invitation to
  Bid (ITB). This information is scored as
  non-financial criteria in the decision criteria
  award matrix (DCAM).
• Mercury elimination
• PVC and DEHP reduction
• Total waste volume reduction
• Take back plans

6
Commitment to Environmental Initiatives

• Inclusion of environmental safety related
  criteria in the Rewarding Excellence incentive
  award for contract managers
• Established a planning, design and construction
  initiative reference list of firms that have
  worked on LEED projects within VHA and UHC
  healthcare organizations

7
Commitment to Environmental Initiatives

• Novations contract portfolio contains agreements
  that provide VHA and UHC members access to
• Mercury recycling
• Alternatives to mercury containing products
• Waste Management Systems
• Lamp and ballast recycling
• Reprocessing agreements between third parties and
  the VHA and UHC alliances
• Value added programs from various supplies for
  recycling programs
• Purchasing of capital equipment with Energy Star
  rating
• Non-polluting products

8
Commitment to Environmental Initiatives

• Development of Resource Guides
• Mercury Elimination Resource Guide (August
  2002)
• Managing Pharmaceutical Wastes (February
  2003)
• PVC-DEHP Resource Guide (March
  2004)

9
Commitment to Environmental Initiatives

• Conducted a Mercury Fever Thermometer Exchange
  for Novation, HPPI and VHA Irving based employees
  
• Collected 135 mercury fever thermometers
• Approximately 2.4 ounces of mercury
• Enormous employee knowledge exposure to the
  hazards of mercury

10
Novation

• Questions?