MWM 3rd Quarter 2011

VOL. VII NO. 3

JUl-sep 2011

Medical Waste Management www.medicalwastemanagementnews.com

Serving Healthcare Facility Waste Management Professionals

Attention Readers !

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Lift Systems Bayne Premium Lift Systems – pg 17

Liquid Disposal Systems Bemis Health Care – pg 5

SHREDDERS Shred-Tech – pg 16 Vecoplan LLC - pg 18

Study: Copper Kills 97% of Hospital ICU Bacteria

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By P.J. Heller

hat old joke about a hospital being the worst place to go when you’re sick is no laughing matter.

Not only are the chances good of contracting a hospital-acquired infection (HAI) while there — nearly five percent of patients admitted to U.S. hospitals will acquire an infection — but those infections are the fourth leading cause of death in the nation, ranking behind heart disease, cancer and stroke. An estimated 2 million HAIs are reported in the U.S. each year, resulting in some 100,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

“You’d be better off going out on assignment in Afghanistan because your risk of death is less,” notes Dr. Michael Schmidt, professor and vice chairman of microbiology and immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

Not only that, but the cost for treating those infections adds an estimated 208 percent to a hospital bill, resulting in a staggering $45 billion annually in added hospitalization costs which doesn’t include costs for doctors or medicine.

Factor in a patient’s lost time from work, with an infection extending the hospital stay from a few

days to up to 24 days, and the total cost could skyrocket to more than $100 billion.

The culprit behind HAIs is bacteria. For healthy people, bacteria generally pose no problem. People who are ill, however, are much more vulnerable to acquiring an infection.

And nowhere is that more likely than in a hospital environment, which Schmidt and his fellow researchers describe as a “clear and present danger” for both patients and healthcare workers.

Preliminary results recently reported from a three-and-a-half-year study by Schmidt and other researchers hold the promise of dramatically reducing not only hospital-acquired infections, but bacteria-borne infections at locations such as at schools, sports arena locker rooms, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, shopping malls, mass transit and specialty medical care facilities.

The clinical trial, carried out at MUSC and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical, both in Charleston, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, found that the use of antimicrobial copper surfaces in intensiveContinued on page 3

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Study: Copper Kills 97% of Hospital ICU Bacteria Continued from page 1 care unit rooms caused a 97 percent reduction of bacteria that cause hospital-acquired infections.

The study also found more than a 40 percent reduction in the risk of acquiring an infection.

The study was funded by the Department of Defense under the Telemedicine and Advanced Technologies Research Center.

“It is a remarkable reduction,” notes Harold T. Michels, senior vice president, technology and technical services with the Copper Development A s s o c i at i o n , a t ra d e group representing the copper, brass and bronze industries. “It goes beyond what I thought would really be that effective.”

Schmidt says researchers looked at the most likely or high-risk areas in a hospital ICU room and surfaced them with metallic copper.

Copper was selected ove r o t h e r m at e r i a l s because it is the only class of solid-touch surfaces registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as having antimicrobial activity, he notes.

Six areas were surfaced with a limited amount of copper. Those commonly touched areas were the rails of a patient’s bed, the arms of a visitor chair, the plastic overbed tray table, the stainless steel IV pole, the plastic nurse’s call button, and data devices such as a computer mouse, keyboard and the bezel around a cardiac monitor.

“When those six items were surfaced with copper, we asked a simple question: How many infections did we see in rooms with those six copper items versus rooms without copper,” Schmidt says.

The answer on average was 40 percent fewer infections in the ICU, where patients are sicker and at greater risk of acquiring an infection.

Roughly one-in-four patients in ICU get an infection from the hospital, he notes.

“That’s pretty frightening,” Schmidt says.

“So all of a sudden, if I can reduce that rate by half, that’s pretty significant.”

The infection rate could be cut even more, as much as 70 percent, Schmidt believes, depending on whether items remain in a patient’s room for the entire length of their stay.

“This has profound benefits for patient health and offers a tremendous opportunity for reducing costs of hospitalization,” he says.

The three medical facilities in the study provided a good cross section of patients,

according to Schmidt. The VA hospital primarily treats men over the age of 55; Sloan Kettering treats extremely vulnerable cancer patients, and MUSC is an acute care medical center treating patients for everything from auto accidents to gunshot wounds.

“The study had America in the beds,” Schmidt says. “We wanted to see America in the bed and ask the simple question: Can the limited placement of antimicrobial surfaces reduce infections? The answer was yes. “ We p u t c o p p e r where the risk was because we thought that if we lower the risk we would see improvements in infections and that’s what we saw.”

Michels, who served as the principal investigator for the clinical trials, says antimicrobial copper isn’t the “solution” to controlling hospital infection but rather a “valuable tool” that can be used to fight the problem.

“There are many, many positives about copper,” he says. “It’s working all the time.

It’s not consuming energy when it’s working.

It continually brings the bacteria back down to the level called terminal cleaning (cleaning after a patient leaves a room). It’s also highly unlikely you’ll get resistance to copper like you can to antibiotics. Plus the reaction is so fast and multifaceted that it’s highly unlikely that an organism is going to survive long enough to mutate to develop resistance.”

S c h m i d t ag re e s t h at t h e f a c t t h at antimicrobial copper is continuously active is a great benefit, especially when it comes to keeping ICU rooms clean.

“There have been studies done that have shown when you clean the hospital, only half the surfaces that require cleaning are cleaned properly,” he says. “In the U.S., we spend $10 billion a year cleaning hospital rooms and only half the surfaces are cleaned properly. Then if you ask how fast does the bacteria repopulate those surfaces, the answer is in about three hours.”

To clean hospital rooms properly would cost $160 billion annually, he estimates, adding that such a cost would be prohibitive.

“Bacteria present on ICU room surfaces are probably responsible for up to 80 percent of patient infections, demonstrating how critical Continued on page 4

“We put copper where the risk was because we thought that if we lower the risk we would see improvements in infections and that’s what we saw.”

JUl-sep 2011 Medical Waste Management

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it is to keep hospitals clean. The copper objects used in the clinical trial lowered microbial levels and supplemented cleaning protocols,” he says.

“Hospitals attribute infections as the cost of doing business, which impact on American lives because it kills 100,000 Americans each year.”

Schmidt says the results of the study should provide American industry with an incentive to step up and start manufacturing copper components for hospitals.

“It’s just like a new drug trial,” he says, “If the drug works you want to make it available. We’ve created a market demand. Now it’s up to American ingenuity to get busy and fabricate items. We’ve been trying to educate the vendors about this issue.”

Michels says manufacturers are already gearing up to produce copper components for hospitals, which could be offered as early as this fall.

That would certainly please Schmidt.

“American industry is in love with injected molded plastic but I’m here to tell you that injected molded plastic is a nightmare from an infection control standpoint,” he says. “Bacteria love plastic and they are easily transferred from plastic surfaces to people.”

The actual cost to retrofit a hospital room with copper components was not specified. But Schmidt says any such costs could be offset starting next year as part of the healthcare reform act, which will provide higher reimbursement rates for acute care non-rural hospitals which lower their hospital infection rates.

Preventing just one infection would save an estimated $48,000 in hospitalization costs, according to Schmidt.

Continued on next page

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P H A R M AC E U T I CA L

Medical Waste Management JUl-sep 2011

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H A Z A R D O U S

WA ST E

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medical waste management Continued from previous page “It seems to me what ever the cost to outfit a room with high-touch copper surfaces will be cheap at ten times the price . . .” he says.

“The cost of treating an infection is more than $43,000,” Michels adds.

“It’s not going to cost $43,000 to outfit a room [with copper] and you’ve protected it for life. . .”

Michels says the presentation in Geneva was preliminary results “to let the world know that we came across something” and that some additional testing and verification will likely be carried out by the infectious disease community to confirm it does work.

“I think it’s going to work everyplace,” he says. “Every organism I ever tested — bacteria, fungi and viruses — was killed by copper in the laboratory.”

Other studies into antimicrobial copper have been or are being conducted in the United Kingdom, Chile, Germany and Japan.

Schmidt would like to conduct further studies on the use of copper in areas where there are ambulatory patients. He is seeking funding for that research.

The study was begun in December 2007 and the trial was completed in mid-June 2011. The results were presented July 1 at the World Health Organization’s 1st International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control in Geneva, Switzerland. The results will be submitted to the EPA for review and approval.

The study has not only impacted patients but the researchers as well.

“I’m an engineer, not a microbiologist or a physician but I don’t work very often on projects where you can save lives,” Michels says. “I think that’s one of the pluses out of this project.”

“This was an idea three-and-a-half years ago that literally has affected the 350 patients that were in the cooper rooms,” Schmidt says. “Those 350 patients had 40 percent fewer infections. It’s changed 350 lives for the better.

There are very few opportunities you can have to be transformational.”

Cover photo courtesy of Dr. Michael Schmidt, Medical University of South Carolina.

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The Value of Data:

How to Demonstrate the Efficacy of Your Waste Management Program

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medicalwaste@rotonics.com

By Tom Badrick

et’s face it; data collection isn’t terribly exciting for most people. To be fair, collecting data can be a bit tedious and, at times, challenging as well. But when the right data is collected and managed properly it can not only help save you and your organization time and money, it can also help you track and demonstrate the efficacy of your waste management program. For the purposes of this editorial, we are going to examine data collection related to managing regulated medical waste (RMW), but these basic principles can be applied to other waste streams or processes as well.

Continued on next page

info@AskOnSite.com www.AskOnSite.com 6

Medical Waste Management JUl-sep 2011

medical waste management Continued from previous page So, where does one start? Well, for your data collection efforts to be successful you should start by asking yourself some key questions.

How Will I Use the Data?

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efore you even start thinking about graphs and charts, you need to have a firm grasp on what data you need and how you’re going to use it. For example, you might want to know the volume of your waste stream so you can try and reduce it, or to put yourself in a better position to negotiate a new contract with a vendor. Or you may want data for an analysis of potential alternative waste disposal methods, such as treating RMW on-site rather than off-site.

How Much Data Do I Need?

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nowing how much data is too much for your needs, or too little, is a bit more difficult to decide. It’s often tempting to go to one extreme, or another. Collecting the bare minimum may save time and misery, but it is probably shortsighted. On the other hand, collecting absolutely every piece of data will eat up too much of your time. So how much data should you collect? To some degree this depends on your goal.

If you are looking at data for the purpose of negotiating a new contract you should focus on how much and what type of RMW your facility is generating and how often it is generated. However, if you want to use your RMW data to better manage your waste, then you’re going to need some additional data. For example, you might need to look at where the RMW is being generated and at what times of day. While it may not be intuitive to consider what time of day RMW is most being generated, it is critical information to have for setting up collection times.

I recommend that you spend a few days walking your facility’s internal collection route with your staff. It can be a real eye opener with respect to RMW. In many hospitals a good rule of thumb is that roughly half of the RMW is going to be generated from surgical areas such as the main operating rooms and day surgery areas. It’s wise to check the quality of your data sources once in a while so the next time you hear a doctor or nurse say the waste never gets picked up, you’ll be able to show that, au contraire, you know exactly when and how often RMW collection takes place.

Communication is Key

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lways remember that communication is the key to a successful program. I once witnessed a team of five hospital employees weighing each and every soiled linen cart brought to their holding area. This came about because several years earlier, management, not trusting the weight information from their outside vendor, instituted an internal weighing policy. I discovered later that in the previous two years no one had ever looked at the information being collected by the hospital’s cleaning staff. If management had looked at this information, they could have avoided wasting a lot of effort. By involving your team in the data collection process you can ensure the accuracy of your data and provide a way for your employees to be more involved in the process.

Of course you must also maintain open lines of communication with another important audience, management. This includes department managers and administrators. When you communicate your data and program details outside of your team, keep your message clear and concise.

Tell them specifically what information you’re tracking and why. Explain that your goal is to benefit your organization in measurable ways in which all staff members can participate. Because one of the main reasons to collect data on RMW is to help reduce RMW volume, involving staff throughout your facility is essential. Communicate the program to them in a way that compels them to be involved.

Lastly, your last audience to consider is external. Whether it is a government bureau or the public, a good handle on your generation data is an effective way of inspiring confidence in your program. It’s also a great way to help promote your organization for awards and recognition.

Avoid the Pitfalls

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s you execute your data collection efforts, be sure to avoid these common pitfalls:

1. Plan your data collection before getting started. Don’t try to gather data on the fly. Plan first, execute second.

2. Be flexible. If you find you’re missing a key piece of data, then add it. And don’t be afraid to stop collecting useless information.

Look at your data holistically to see if there is other data of value that you aren’t capturing in your collection efforts.

3. Don’t assume everyone else will share your enthusiasm for all of your data. Be able to distill your data into a useful message. An administrative vice president is unlikely to want to spend three hours talking about how much RMW was generated on Thursday afternoon unless it’s to resolve a very specific problem.

4. Never forget why you are collecting this data; to better manage your process. If it’s not helping with that then it’s time to revise your plans.

Planning and implementing data collection can save you time and effort and offers the opportunity to enhance communication, both with your staff and across departments. You may never wake up in the morning eager to collect data, but hopefully a few successes will lessen the pain of “number crunching” for you and, ultimately, benefit your entire organization.

Tom Badrick is President of Badrick Consulting specializing in healthcare sustainability program design and implementation. The Badrick Consulting website can be found at www.badricksustainability.com and Tom can be reached via email at tbadrick@aol.com.

Need Help Setting Up Your Hospital’s Sustainability Program?

— Call Tom Badrick — Tom is a recognized speaker in the healthcare sustainability field. He has also crafted and directed one of the most successful healthcare facility sustainability programs in North America, and has guided and assisted many other organizations in creating and expanding their programs.

Tom Badrick, President 1725 NE 118th Ave. Portland, OR 97220 503-539-8704 tbadrick@aol.com www.badrickconsulting.com

Subscribe to MWM. Call today 440.257.6453.

JUl-sep 2011 Medical Waste Management

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medical waste management

Leadership in Sustainability – University of California, San Francisco

By Tom Badrick

I

n recent years, many hospitals have begun to embrace sustainable practices and develop comprehensive green programs that tackle everything from recycling to reducing energy expenditures to educating staff members. The Sustainability Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a notable example. The program, which was rolled out at the university’s teaching hospital, recently earned UCSF the Partners for Change with Distinction Award from Practice Greenhealth, a prominent nonprofit focused on greening healthcare. The goals of the program are lofty. UCSF hopes to reduce the hospital’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to 1990 levels, achieve zero waste and reduce water use by 20 percent – all by 2020.

Because its facility is both a university and a hospital, UCSF enjoys some unique advantages when it comes to going green.

Universities, by and large, are further along the sustainability continuum than hospitals.

But UCSF Sustainability Manager Gail Lee would be quick to point out that there are quite a few unique challenges as well. Lee came to UCSF from a similar position at Sutter Health, a nonprofit healthcare system that serves Northern California. She believes that the most important step toward a top notch sustainability program is also the most difficult – reaching full staff involvement. The UCSF program has been tremendously successful, despite Lee’s struggles to get full buy-in. Nevertheless, participation in the UCSF program has continued to grow, a credit to the grassroots success of green team efforts, education and outreach.

“Even though we have half the membership on the Sustainability Steering Committee,” says Lee, “there are areas that are not represented such as the surgical area. As an example, changing behavior to increase the use of reprocessed singleuse surgical devices requires individual surgeons to accept use of each specific tool.

This is time and labor intensive. We have an 8

Photos courtesy of University of California, San Francisco.

Operational Improvement Team and individuals helping out, but it looks to be an ongoing effort that will require continuous effort to make it work.”

In addition to encouraging staff to get involved in the sustainability program, UCSF participates in monthly conference calls with several other University of California medical centers to discuss sustainability efforts, share information and best practices, untapped opportunities and potential policy changes.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle … and Save

F

o r UCSF, going green has led to saving green. In some hospitals, for example, patient pillows are treated as disposables. This can add up to a significant volume of waste and cost. In 2010, UCSF made the change from disposable to reusable pillows, a move that reduced the hospital’s solid waste production by 296,000 pounds and saved more than $240,000 per year.

UCSF also implemented a patient food service recycling and composting program that diverted 100 percent of the teaching hospital’s food waste from landfills.

Program participants hand sort the food waste to ensure zero contamination before composting. Last year,

Medical Waste Management JUl-sep 2011

UCSF converted 100 percent of its compostable wares (boxes, containers, cutlery, etc.) from patient food trays and from catered meetings and events. These and other efforts in the hospital’s clinical areas’ helped raise UCSF’s recycling rate from 23 percent to 38 percent. The food waste recycling and composting program was recently expanded include food and food-related waste from staff lounges and patient areas.

Lee says UCSF’s sustainable foods program has helped increase staff buy-in by changing the way they view food. The hospital hosts a weekly farmers market nine months out of the year in conjunction with local farmers and the produce supplier Bay City Produce. Produce purchases are tracked on every invoice to d e t e r m i n e wh e t h e r or not they are local.

As a way to promote healthier food options, UCSF established a Smart Choice brand in 2009. This visual identity program identifies “healthy” food items with lower calories, fat and sodium per serving. They have also eliminated trans fats. This Smart Choice program is used at all of the food outlets and vending machines in the hospital as well as on the UCSF campus.

The hospital has also reduced its regulated medical waste (RMW) from 20 percent of the hospital’s overall waste to just 9 percent, resulting in significant cost savings. Incorporating a sharps recycling program played a big role in the reduction. In fact, the sharps program, says Lee, provided return on investment in less than three months.

Continued on next page

medical waste management Continued from previous page

Toxic Chemical Reduction

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n 2003, UCSF was recognized by Practice Greenhealth with the Making Medicine Mercury Free award. Among other chemical products considered unhealthy, there are active plans to reduce or eliminate both PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and DEHP (diethyl phthalate) from use both in clinical areas and in construction.

Ethylene Oxide, a sterilizing agent has been eliminated from use. To prevent contamination of the environment, a complete pharmaceutical waste management plan has been implemented.

As a means to reduce both the volume of hazardous materials brought into the facility, and disposed of, UCSF recycles several lab solvents. And Environmental Services uses green cleaning chemicals and compostable sanitary paper products.

Building Green

A

s hospitals become more interested in greening their operations, implementation of LEED, (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) has gained popularity.

At UCSF this is demonstrated by a commitment to build green for all new campus construction to at least the US Green Building Council’s LEED Silver standard; and to seek LEED-CI (commercial interior) certification for al00l renovation projects over $5 million. For example, a new UCSF Mission Bay Medical Center, currently in the design phase, is expected to be a LEED Gold facility.

Leadership in Sustainability

T

he sustainability program at UCSF seems to have found the winning combination of setting aggressive goals and achieving measurable successes along the way. Whether it’s significantly improving its recycling program, to implementing a sustainable food program, UCSF is proving the feasibility and success of comprehensive green efforts.

The Badrick Consulting website can be found at www.badricksustainability.com and Tom can be reached via email at tbadrick@aol.com.

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Correction

I

n our previous edition of Medical Waste Management (April-June 2011), we printed a directory of Regulated Medical Waste (Processing Technology) Manufacturers, but mistakenly left out information on ECODAS (www.ecodas.com) and Honua Technologies (honuatech.com). We apologize for this oversight, and have reprinted the directory below with ECODAS and Honua Technologies included.

RMW (Processing Technology) Manufacturers AMB-Ecosteryl Montreal, QC Canada 514-286-1458 www.ecosteryl.net

MedClean Technologies Bethel, CT 203-798-1080 www.medcleantechnologies.com

The Bell Process West Chester, OH 513-227-2740 www.thebellprocess.com

OnSite Sterilization LLC Pottstown, PA Al Koehler, VP of Sales & Marketing 610-495-8214 www.askonsite.com See ad on page 6

BioMedical Technology Solutions, Inc. Englewood, CO 866-525-2687 www.bmtscorp.com BioSafe Engineering, LLC Brownsburg, IN 317-313-8989 Randy McKee, Sales www.stibiosafe.com See ad on page 5

OZONATOR Industries Regina, SK Canada 306-791-0900 www.ozonatorindustries.com Red Bag Solutions Baltimore, MD 877-973-3224 www.redbag.com

Bondtech Corporation Somerset, KY 800-414-4231 Angel Aguiar, Vice President. www.bondtech.net See ad on page 19

ReGen Bradenton, FL Bob Olexy, President.

800-823-9513 www.vanishwaste.com See ad on page 16

ECODAS 59100 Roubaix - France +33 3 20 70 98 65 206-427-6641 (U.S.) www.ecodas.com

San-I-Pak Tracy, CA 209-836-2310 www.sanipak.com

Honua Technologies Honolulu, HI 808-523-3140 www.honuatech.com

TrinovaMed Corona, CA 951-254-9240 www.trinovamed.com

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Hallmarks of a Great Workplace

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By Norm Spitzig

hat exactly makes a workplace “great?” What are the specific characteristics common to those very special workplaces that are universally recognized as the indisputable signs of a superior operation?

If there is a more basic (or fascinating) question for a workplace and the people who inhabit it, it hasn’t been found. A workplace that successfully attains the following characteristics—whatever size it might be or industry it may be in—can proudly and accurately call itself “great.”

1. A clear mission and purpose for being

T

he very best workplaces in the world know—really know—who they are and what their core purpose is. They have a straightforward, concise mission statement (i.e., “who they are”) that is readily understandable and enthusiastically embraced by each and every employee. Such great workplaces have carefully identified those factors critical to their long-term success (i.e., “those services and/or facilities they must do, and continue to do, exceptionally well”) as well as their specific vision for the future (“what our workplace will likely be in five to ten years”). Great workplaces develop detailed action plans and accompanying areas of responsibility to insure that their vision for the future is more than some pie-in-the-sky dream; it is concrete, actionable, measurable and (with perseverance on everyone’s part) achievable.

2. Forward thinking, creative senior management and a caring, well-trained staff

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o workplace can remain superior over any meaningful period of time without quality leadership at the top as well as a caring, well-trained support staff. At great workplaces, everyone from the President/Chief Executive Officer to yesterday’s hire are fully committed to doing whatever it takes to insure the company’s ongoing success yearin and year-out. Equally as important, great workplaces attract people from myriad backgrounds and with varying arsenals of professional and personal skills—talents that complement and enhance each other to the benefit of all employees as well as the customer base. At a great workplace, individuality is valued and cherished, but teamwork remains first and foremost.

3. Meaningful work

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great workplace allows—better yet, encourages—its employees to do what they deem meaningful. Of course, the term “meaningful” denotes different things to different people. What is meaningful work for a Chief Executive Officer of a multi-billion dollar company may, but not necessarily, differ significantly from that of a solo entrepreneur working at home. Both can—or cannot—be genuinely viewed as meaningful work, depending on the perspectives of the individuals involved. Having said that, Malcolm Gladwell is correct when he notes in Outliers that, for most people, work is meaningful when it is sufficiently autonomous, appropriately complex, and has a perceived direct relationship between the effort invested (i.e., “time on the job”) and the accompanying return (i.e., “compensation”). Great workplaces offer their team members the opportunity for each and every employee, 10 Medical Waste Management JUl-sep 2011

irrespective of their education, talents, and experiences, to consistently do what they themselves perceive as genuinely meaningful.

4. Reasonable, understandable, and uniformly enforced work rules

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reat workplaces have rules and policies that are reasonable, understandable, and, perhaps most importantly, fairly and uniformly enforced. (If, for example, smoking is prohibited in the work environment, that means, plainly and simply, no one smokes: not the President, not the Chief Operating Officer, not the new dishwasher.) The rules and policies at great workplaces are neither capricious nor arbitrary.

They are not written in language so arcane that anyone but a senior tax attorney can comprehend. Ideally, they are not written to prevent employees from doing something, but rather to set appropriate standards whereby all employees are assured the opportunity to maximize their potential. In short, great workplaces embrace rules and policies that reflect the core values of the workplace as well as the expectations of the employees and customers in a fair and logical manner.

5. An appropriate blending of tradition and innovation

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hile great workplaces are environments where employees devote a significant amount of time to improving current products and services as well as creating new ones, they are also places where tradition and continuity are highly valued. Longstanding products and services are not whimsically eliminated to the detriment of loyal customers; rather, they are continually improved as circumstances dictate to the benefit of all concerned. At great workplaces, all are aware and proud of their company’s origins and heritage, its growth and evolution, its positive reputation in the community, its quality products and services, its mission for the present, and its vision for the future.

6. Open communication among all vested parties

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reat workplaces have regular, honest communication between everyone involved with, and interested in, the long-term success of the company. Staff and customers are always kept informed of, and are encouraged to appropriately participate in, the company mission, vision, policies, and procedures as well as any significant changes under consideration. In other words, they are given adequate opportunity to convey their ideas and suggestions to company leadership. Managers at great workplaces are unwavering in their commitment to “management by walking around,” because they know that this time-tested practice promotes open communication and minimizes potential problems. Great workplaces typically have company newsletters, both electronic and print, that regularly and effectively communicate the various opportunities available to staff and customers in an accurate and timely manner.

7. Fiscal responsibility

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ast, but certainly not least, great workplaces are fiscally prudent in the manner they operate. They have detailed, multi-year business plans that feature accurate income and expense projections, conservative Continued on page 16

news briefs

NCPA, United Water Team Up on Prescription Disposal

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he National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) are partnering with United Water to encourage Americans to properly dispose of their unused or expired medications in an environmentally-friendly manner.

A major part of the campaign will center around the NCPA’s website dedicated to the program, www.DisposeMyMeds.org, that directs people to their local independent pharmacy where they can drop off their unused medications.

In addition to the inherent value of the program, United Water has embarked on the effort as a preemptive measure aimed at enhancing the quality of drinking water sources. Each year, Americans fill more than four billion prescriptions.

As much as one third of that medication, though, will never be used, generating about 200 million pounds of pharmaceutical waste.

Some of that finds its way to rivers, lakes and streams that make up our nation’s water supplies.

“Some trace levels of pharmaceutical compounds have been detected in waterways throughout the world,” said Brent Fewell, vice president of environmental compliance at United Water. “With no technology available today to effectively remove prescription drugs from water, proper disposal is currently our only remedy.”

In addition to the DisposeMyMeds.org program, Fewell noted that United Water is also spearheading leading-edge research initiatives aimed at removing compounds from the water.

Robert Greenwood, president of the NCPA, said conventional wisdom was to dispose of medicines by flushing them down toilets, rather than disposing of them in trash, to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

“Now we realize the potential impact of some pharmaceutical compounds in our waterways and the new emphasis on an environmentally-safer means of disposal,” he said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set forth guidelines on disposal of drugs that are not specifically labeled for flushing.

Find more at www.whitehousedrugpolicy. gov/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf. To find a participating pharmacy near you, visit www.DisposeMyMeds.org.

California Lags on Hospital Infection Reporting

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alifornia is known for its tough antiinfection laws, passed in 2006 and 2008, to protect patients from bacteria in the hospitals, but the program to implement them has slowed down. The California Department of Public Health, which has the authority to regulate hospital anti-infection programs and use state resources to fight bacteria, faces budget cuts and funding holdups.

Meanwhile, citizens charge that hospitals have too much control over the agency’s program and are dragging their feet, with too many hospital representatives on the board and too few consumers. Hospital representatives are usually specialists in infection control.

A broadly based anti-infection campaign is still being worked on at DPH. The department just now began creating regulations to enforce the 2006 and 2008 laws, and complete regulations are not expected for two more years. Hospitals were directed in 2006 to have anti-infection programs and reports, but a DPH survey to check for compliance was not completed until last year. A 2008 law required DPH to collect hospital surgical site infection data and make them public by 2012, but the first report, released half a year ago, was useless and DPH is considering tossing them and cutting back on future reporting.

State Sen. Elaine Alquist, author of the 2008 law, criticized the DPH decision to cut back, and it was reversed. The California Hospital Association, however, which supports public reports, complained that members could not report as DPH had as yet no regulations to guide hospitals in this huge effort and asked a Superior Court judge to block surgical reporting temporarily.

DPH, meanwhile, says it is facing budget cuts, staff furloughs, funding delays and red tape and is without resources. It does claim significant progress in implementing the state¹s public reporting requirements, among the strongest in the nation. The agency is speeding up its writing of hospital regulations and says it has looked at infection programs at 91 of 383 hospitals, finding 83 deficiencies at 30 facilities. Also, the makeup of the board is being reexamined and representation may be changed.

California was the last large state to require hospital infection data to be made public and does not count infections in nursing homes or surgical centers. For more information, visit http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/29/3661803/ deadly-bacteria-lurk-inside-hospital.html.

www.buschsystems.com

JUl-sep 2011 Medical Waste Management 11

news briefs

Texas Expands HIPAA Privacy Constraints

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Te x a s h e a l t h c a r e p r i v a c y l a w now exceeds that of the HIPAA Privacy Rule by expanding on the term “covered entity” to include any entity that engages in “assembling, collecting, analyzing, using, evaluating, storing, or transmitting protected health information,” as well as any entity that “comes into possession of” or “obtains or stores” protected health information (PHI).

It requires all employees of covered entities to undergo training on HIPAA and Texas’ health privacy law within 60 days of hiring, and at least once every two years; bans the disclosure of PHI for remuneration, except that covered entities may disclose PHI to other covered entities for treatment, payment, health care operations, insurance or HMO functions, or as authorized or required by federal or state law; requires covered entities to provide notice to individuals that their PHI is subject to electronic disclosure and obtain authorization for any electronic disclosure of PHI (apart from disclosures of PHI to other covered entities for treatment, payment, health care operations, insurance or HMO functions, or as authorized or required by federal or state law); mandates that health care providers provide individuals with access to their PHI within 15 days of their request; authorizes the Texas Attorney General, Texas Health Services Authority or Texas Department of Insurance to conduct compliance audits of covered entities that have consistently violated the Texas law; and obligates the Texas Health Services Authority to develop privacy and security standards for the electronic sharing of PHI. This new law may have a broad impact on many non-HIPAA covered entities.

jedstock@aol.com

One-Sixth of Spartanburg, SC Nursing Homes Cited May Become Site of for Poor Infection TreatMed Facility Control reatMed, a company that transports

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study published in the May issue of American Journal of Infection Control by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health determined that nearly one-sixth of U.S. nursing homes have been cited for deficiencies in infection control. The study looked at 96% of the records kept from 2000-2007 relating to the nursing home certification processes needed in order to receive payment from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Researchers believe that the citations were the result of reduced nurse staffing levels. For more, go to www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pubmed/21531271.

Santa Fe Hospital Cited for Illegal Medical Waste Dumping

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hristus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, located in Sante Fe, NM, has been fined for the second time for illegally dumping medical waste in the Santa Fe landfill. The New Mexico Environment Department assessed the hospital a $21,400 fine after infectious waste was found in the Caja Del Rio landfill, including gauze, disposable diapers, plastic tubing, latex gloves, urine containers and syringes contaminated with blood and other infectious material. The hospital previously paid $43,500 in fines in 2007 for three instances of unauthorized disposal of infectious waste, and had other violations in 2006 from 14 truckloads of waste dumped illegally, an incident which the hospital said led to corrections in its disposal procedures.

The hospital CEO, Alex Valdez, blamed human error for the most recent incident despite quarterly training and daily efforts toward safety.

He said there will be more “comprehensive training” this summer and that the hospital is “very, very sorry that this happened.”

The New Mexico Environment Department also cited the hospital’s failure to properly label containers of infectious waste and to secure an infectious waste storage building from unauthorized access. These errors were found during an inspection of the hospital by the state Environmental Department’s Solid Waste Bureau. Go to www.abqjournal.com/ main/2011/05/07/north/hospital-fined-for-waste. html.

12 Medical Waste Management JUl-sep 2011

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and treats biohazardous medical waste, plans to open a treatment facility in a vacant, 38,000-sf building in Spartanburg Co, north of I-85. The facility would collect infectious medical waste from medical facilities throughout the state, transport it to the plant, shred it, sterilize it and haul it to a Union County landfill. TreatMed uses a technology called ECODAS to shred and sterilize the waste, and the two companies share a corporate officer in David Squalli, who is president of TreatMed and vice president of ECODAS US. TreatMed has similar facilities in 26 countries, but this would be the first U.S. location and serve as corporate headquarters. It might begin manufacturing ECODAS equipment at the site.

TreatMed had approached Fairburn, GA, about a site there, but city officials voted down the plan over possible “injuries or obnoxious conditions resulting from transportation of contaminated, infectious medical waste” and said it “would be a detriment to the public health, safety, and welfare of citizens of the City of Fairburn.” Squalli says the community believed that the facility was an incinerator. The Spartanburg plant has already gotten approval from the Spartanburg County Planning Commission, sewer district and the landfill in Union County. Only an infectious waste facility permit from South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control remains to be obtained. A public hearing will be held this fall on the matter.

For more information, visit http://www2. wspa.com/news/community-watchdog/2011/ jun/29/1/medical-waste-treatment-plant-plannedspartanburg-ar-2046564/.

Stericycle Completes Acquisition of HWS

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tericycle, Inc., a medical waste recycler based in Lake Forest, IL, has completed its pending acquisition of Healthcare Waste Solutions, Inc. following an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of New York providing clearance for the transaction under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. It acquired HWS, a portfolio company of Altaris Capital Partners, LLC, by a cash merger in which HWS became a wholly-owned subsidiary. HWS will add approximately $45 million in annualized revenues.

news briefs

New Hampshire Hospital Recycles Food Waste

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t. Joseph Hospital, a 100 bed hospital, based in Nashua, NH, has been recycling since 2009 and recently began a food-composting system to turn food scraps into fertilizer, taking about a year to set it up and find a processor. The hospital generates about 1 1⁄2 tons of food waste a month, with incineration costing $78.50 a ton plus a $121 hauling fee. Composting costs $35 a ton, plus a $40 hauling fee, and twice weekly pickups have been reduced by half.

The hospital began with 18% recycling of all waste by weight and is now over 30% including food. The food is hauled by New England Solid Waste Consultants Inc. in Rowley, MA. Food waste now makes up nearly 20% of the firm’s business, and New England Solid Waste hauls its waste to veteran Brick End Farms in Raleigh, MA. The area has a shortage of haulers and an even greater shortage of composters. No place is licensed by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services as a large-scale foodwaste composting system.

Part of the reason for the lack of food composting operations has been the decline in farms, but the rise in local food and smallscale farms could change this. For more information visit, http://www.nashuatelegraph. com/news/916752-196/hospital-turning-tons-offood-into-compost.html.

Cellphones Now Targeted as Infection Carriers

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new Turkish study did a bacterial analysis of 200 cellphones of patients, visitors and hospital workers and found that cellphones brought into the facilities by patients and the people who visit them are twice as likely to carry dangerous pathogens as cellphones belonging to hospital staff. A news release from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology says that the types of bacteria found on patient cellphones and their resistance patterns were problematic.

The findings were published in the June issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.

Nearly 40% of cellphones belonging to patients were found to be positive for pathogens, almost twice the 20.6% rate of those of the staff, and some phones belonging to patients were found to contain multi-drug-resistant pathogens, while no such pathogens were found on the staff phones. For more information, visit http:// news.health.com/2011/06/01/hospital-visitorscellphones-may-carry-worrisome-germs/.

Trinity Infection Prevention Team Uses Duct Tape to Reduce Infections, Saves $110,000

New Jersey Passes Law to Take Licenses from Doctors, Companies Who Dump

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ock Is., IL --Members of Trinity Regional Health System’s Infection Prevention Team worked from January 2009 to December 2010 on ways to safely reduce the time and cost of communication between health-care providers and patients isolated with dangerous infections, looking at whether a safe zone could be created to communicate with the patient without donning personal protective gear.

Their solution? A simple roll of red duct tape.

By creating a three-foot square “Red Box” safe zone inside the door from which associates could talk to patients, the group saved up to 2,700 hours and $110,000 annually by not requiring the use of PPE upon entry. At Trinity, approximately 30% of interactions with patients in isolation were performed in the “Red Box.” The study showed that staff could safely enter the area without PPE for quick communication and assessment.

The box also serves as an additional visual cue to remind health-care workers that they are entering an isolation room, which is usually only indicated by a sign outside the patient’s room.

In a satisfaction survey, 67% of Trinity’s healthcare workers said that the Red Box lessened barriers when communicating with patients.

Also, 79.2% reported that the Red Box saved time in not having to put on and remove PPE.

Maryland Hospital Wins Award for Workplace and Waste Diversion Excellence

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edical waste dumping may now be a cause for medical professionals and medical waste handling companies (based in New Jersey) to lose their licenses, at least temporarily. The state of New Jersey passed A-86, an anti-dumping law, by a 76-0 vote, after illegally dumped medical waste ruined South Jersey beaches Labor Day weekend of 2008. Beaches were closed in Avalon, Berkeley, Brigantine, Ocean City, Sea Isle City and Upper Township.

A Philadelphia dentist who owns a vacation home in the state, Thomas McFarland, was charged with intentionally dumping the Avalon waste, put on probation and ordered to pay restitution.

The measure would suspend the license of any health care professional, medical waste facility, generator or transporter for three years for those found guilty of dumping, with permanent lost of license if the perpetrator continued to operate. This penalty would be in addition to existing penalties under laws involving water pollution, ocean dumping, and regulated medical waste management, which can carry penalties of up to $200,000 in fines and 20 years imprisonment. Those from other states found dumping would be turned over to the authorities in its state by the New Jersey Attorney General. For more information, visit http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index. ssf/2011/05/docs_who_dump_medical_waste_ wo.html.

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ethesdae, MD--St. Mary’s Hospital has again won acclaim from the Alliance for Workplace Excellence as the recipient of its 2011 Workplace Excellence, Health & Wellness Trailblazer and EcoLeadership Award.

AWE recognized the hospital for its human resources communications practices and its programs for employee health and wellness.

The EcoLeadership Award, was given for the hospital’s commitment to environmental sustainability, as its Green Team has worked with its waste management vendor to divert over 20,000 pounds of plastics from the waste stream.

It uses a recycling program for sharps containers, earned a 6% reduction in red bag wastes by educating employees, and began a conservation program that aims at an energy cost savings of $128,000 yearly.

jeffSMSmemory@gmail.com www.smsassembly.com

JUl-sep 2011 Medical Waste Management 13

news briefs

Carrico Named as National Advisor on Infection Control Policy

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ouisville, KY--Ruth Carrico, PhD, a faculty member at the University of Louisville School of Public Health & Information Sciences, has been named as one of 14 expert advisors on a committee that will help guide policy on infection control to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. “I consider my appointment to the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) a highlight of my professional career,” Carrico said. She will serve until 2014.

HICPAC provides advice and guidance on healthcare infection control practice, helps determine strategies for prevention and control of infections at healthcare facilities, as well as recommending new infection control guidelines and updates to current policies.

For more information, visit http://www. medicalnewstoday.com/releases/225891.php.

VA Hospitals See Big Improvements in MRSA Rates

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ashington, DC--The Veterans Administration has cut the rate of hospital-acquired methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in its facilities between October 2007 and June 2010 by 62% in hospital ICUs and 45% elsewhere, says a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the two years before the study period, rates had remained unchanged.

The reduction is the result of a special program, a “MRSA bundle” developed in Pittsburgh in 2002 and distributed nationally to 149 military medical centers. To see if new patients are already carrying MSRA, a sample nasal swab is sent to the lab to be tested, with results within 24 hours. Color-coded signs posted outside patient doors let staffers know when a patient’s nasal swab has tested positive for MRSA or some other infection, and what precautions to take.

All hospital staff get training in such basics as proper hand washing and precautions to be taken in dealing with patients, small acts with big impact. Each unit has a champion to observe and ensure staff compliance, and individual wards also can do their own safety procedures, such as special cleaning procedures.

Individual facility figures are impressive.

For instance, between September 2010 and February 2011, the rate of infection by multidrug- resistant organisms, including MRSA, clostridium difficile (C. diff) and others, dropped 82 percent at Audie Murphy VA Hospital in San Antonio, TX. For more information, visit http://www. mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/ VA-Hospital-seeing-payoff-of-infectionfighting-1401178.php.

Illinois Updates Health Care Website with Hospital Acquired Infection Data

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he Illinois Department of Public Health announced updates to the state’s Hospital Report Card and Consumer Guide to Healthcare website that include information about hospital acquired infection prevention and control staffing.

According to Dr. Arnold, IDPH Director, “It is vital that consumers have a solid understanding about the quality of health care they will receive at a hospital or health care provider. If consumers are informed, they will be able to ask questions of their health care providers to receive the best health care possible.”

The Hospital Report Card Act requires all Illinois hospitals to report nurse staffing, infection prevention measures and hospital acquired infections data to the Illinois Department of Public Health. According to the IDPH, “The Infection Control Staffing measures now available on the website show the number of infection prevention and control staff for every 100 authorized hospital beds. All hospitals in Illinois are required to have an infection prevention and control program.”

“Infection control procedures are of special concern during construction and remodeling activities at healthcare facilities,” reported Ed Chambers, the President of EC2, Inc., an Illinois-based environmental and infectious disease consulting firm. “Infection control is always of paramount concern, but during construction activities it becomes even more critical.”

Wisconsin Hospital Aims at 80% Construction Waste Recycling

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general@kesconsult.com

www.kesconsult.com

anesville, WI--The $150 million St. Mary’s Janesville Hospital and next door Dean Clinic have been under construction for the last year and a half, with construction teams from Cogdell Spencer Erdman recycling almost 75% of the project’s waste, some 30 semis worth hauling over 1,100 tons of concrete, drywall and wood, with a goal of 80% recycled. In addition, there are over 31,000 pounds of wood pallets that will be recycled. That represents a quantity equal to about a quarter of the city’s curbside recycling efforts.

The construction site includes large dumpsters labeled for materials such as cardboard, concrete and masonry, drywall, metal and wood, and each floor has appropriately labeled bins.

Drywall can be hard to recycle, but the contractor found a Green County farmer who uses the ground up drywall to balance pH in his soil. A large project like this uses economies of scale to lower the cost of recycling, making it cost-neutral, according to Rick Stoughton, hospital project manager, as revenues from scrap help make up for the labor and trucking costs. For more information, visit http://gazettextra.com/news/2011/may/04/janesville-hospital-projectputs-priority-recyclin/.

14 Medical Waste Management JUl-sep 2011

Product/Equipment Profiles

Marathon Launches New ECO-SAFE DIGESTER™ for Safely Processing Organic Waste

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he new Eco-Safe Digester from Marathon Equipment Company is an innovative breakthrough in confronting the growing problem of organic (food waste) waste processing and disposal.

The Marathon Eco-Safe Digester is a food waste decomposition system that diverts waste from landfills while delivering multiple environmental benefits and measurable cost savings. Using a highly refined formula of microorganisms, it breaks down organic waste into a liquid that can be safely flushed down the drain, enabling the effluent to return to the ecosystem as water.

Within 24 hours, the Eco-Safe Digester can safely and quickly decompose virtually all organic food waste including, but not limited to, meat, poultry, fish, grains, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables.

“The Eco-Safe Digester is an ideal solution for highvolume food waste generators, like hospitals hotels. We have seen customers’ waste hauling costs reduced from 20 to 50 percent per month depending on their individual waste stream composition and local cost variables.”

For more information about the innovative new Marathon Eco-Safe Digester, please call Marathon Customer Care toll-free at 800-633-8974.

Jake, Connor & Crew Announces JCAHO and LEED compliant consoles and wheeled bins

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ake, Connor & Crew recently introduced their fully JCAHO compliant document storage containers. These exclusive consoles, the “Ergonomic Series” console (32 dry U.S. gallon) introduced in 2011, the “eConsole” introduced in 2008 and the 32 gallon “Pedigree Series” wheeled bin, introduced in 2010, fully comply with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) requirements for shredding containers. These containers are also LEED compliant and are fully recyclable.

Jake, Connor & Crew is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of containers for the document protection industry.

For more information on Jake, Connor & Crew products & accessories, please contact sales@ jakeconnorandcrew.com or 519-576-9865 or visit www.jakeconnorandcrew.com.

Sharpsmart Reusable Containers

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aniels Sharpsmart Inc. is committed to developing the safest, environmentally friendly products and services available in order to make healthcare safer for workers and patients around the world.

The Daniels’ Sharpsmart sharps containment system has been clinically proven to significantly reduce the risk of sharps injuries, improving the safety of healthcare workers and reducing the environmental impact at the same time.

In a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control, a safety enhanced disposal device could prevent more than 19,000 accidental needlesticks and other sharps injuries to healthcare workers.

Daniels Sharpsmart Inc. has invested tens of millions of dollars into developing the unique Sharpsmart sharps containment system that improves the safety of healthcare workers when disposing of sharps and lessens the environmental impact at the same time. The system was developed with feedback and input from sharps users around the world. It is truly a system developed by users, for users.

For more information visit www.Danielsinternational.com.

Class 1 Inc. Introduces Central Halogenated Drug Recovery System

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ach year, a typical mid-size hospital emits anesthetic gases equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of 2000 passenger vehicles.

To address this issue, Class 1 Inc. has developed a Central Halogenated Drug Recovery (HDR) system that collects, concentrates and captures halogenated anesthetic gases – thus preventing the release of these chemicals to the environment. It also transforms nitrous oxide into harmless nitrogen and Oxygen, thus dramatically reducing the carbon footprint of health care.

Initially, Class1 will provide a collection system for the halogenated drugs, which are concentrated and collected at a central location (usually a mechanical room) on an adsorbent in large canisters. When the canisters are full, they are sent to an off-site facility for recycling by our partner, Blue-Zone Technologies. The second phase of the program will add the capture nitrous oxide from the waste anesthetic gas stream and its transformation into harmless nitrogen and oxygen. Hospitals that use HDR may qualify for future drug rebates and carbon offset credits.

For more information about Central HDR, please contact hdr@class1inc.com or visit http://class1inc. com/product.php?cat=product39&nv=76.

JUl-sep 2011 Medical Waste Management 15

news briefs

7 Hallmarks of a Great Workplace

Continued from page 10 cash flow estimates, sufficient funding for research, development, infrastructure maintenance, renovation and expansion, and realistic cash flow projections. In addition, great businesses rigorously monitor and adjust their financial plans on a regular basis and as circumstances dictate. The know exactly how much money will be required to provide the quality products and services their customers want and expect as well the specific costs associated with them. The long-term financial well-being of the workplace remains a high priority in the minds of all concerned.

A great workplace, in summary, employs happy, productive and talented people who perform meaningful work compatible with the mission, vision, and financial goals of the company. It takes constant effort and vigilance to be a truly great workplace, but the end result is well worth it.

www.shred-tech.com

Norm Spitzig, Principal at Master Club Advisors, is internationally recognized as an eloquent, visionary speaker and club industry expert. His talks have been well received on six continents by numerous professional associations, individual businesses, club leaders, and civic groups. His groundbreaking book, “Perspectives on Club Management,” continues to inspire and challenge business leaders worldwide, and his newer books, “Private Clubs in America and around the World” and “Murder and Mayhem at Old Bunbury,” offer insightful and humorous looks into the private club world. Both available at www.CliveEndiveOgiveIV.com. For more information, contact Norm at normspitzig@hotmail.com, 1-352-7355693, or visit www.MasterClubAdvisors.com.

The VANISH Medical Waste Disinfector NOT an Autoclave NO Capital Investment - Lease Only Cuts Your Medical Waste Disposal Cost On-site Treatment of Waste & Documents NO Shredding, Chemicals or Air Permitting Required

Call for More Information: 800-823-9513 info@VanishWaste.com www.VanishWaste.com

16 Medical Waste Management JUl-sep 2011

news briefs

ICUs Kept CLABSI-Free With Infection Control Programs

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ashington, DC--The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that The Archives of Internal Medicine has published a study showing that intensive care units that used the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) put a halt to central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) for up to two years.

The Keystone Intensive Care Unit Project in Michigan hospitals began using CUSP, a combination of initiatives including a culture of patient safety, improved communication among ICU staff teams and using a procedural checklist, and the result was that 60% of the 80 ICUs in the study had no CLABSIs for at least one year after beginning CUSP, while over a quarter, 26%, were free of CLABSI for at least two years. While facilities of all sizes benefitted, smaller hospitals did better. For more, go to http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2011/clabsiicupr.htm.

Massachusetts Sees Lower Rate of Injuries From Sharps

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oston, MA--Research published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology shows that the rate of injury from sharps for health care workers at 76 acute care facilities in Massachusetts fell by 22% from 2000-2007, an annual decline of 4.7%. The data showed that injuries fell more among nurses than physicians, and that injuries caused by winged steel needles, hypodermic needles and syringes were down due to manufacturer injury prevention features. For more, go to www.jstor.org/ pss/10.1086/660012.

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JUl-sep 2011 Medical Waste Management 17

news briefs

Univ. of Maryland Medical Center Has Zero CLABSIs for a Half Year

Ohio County Successful at Collecting Unused Drugs

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arion, OH--Marion County agencies, including Marion General Hospital, Crawford-Marion Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services, Marion County Recycling and Litter Prevention and the MARMET Drug Task Force, worked together to dispose of outdated and unused medication on its second annual Medical Disposal Day, collecting more than 90 bottles of opiates and about 15 controlled substances during their event. Only opiates and controlled substances were counted, but both prescription and over-the-counter medications were collected.

Containers will be shredded and recycled and needles, creams and liquids incinerated. About half of the state’s 88 counties participated in similar efforts as part of the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. For more information, visit http://www.marionstar.com/ article/20110501/NEWS01/105010327/Drugdrop-off-day-nets-nearly-100-opiates.

altimore, MD--The University of Maryland Medical Center surgical intensive care unit has improved its oversight procedures, with infection control nurses overseeing central line catheter insertions, to realize a rate of zero central line-associated bloodstream infections for July through December 2010, says the Association for Professionals in Infection Control. In the same time period in 2009, the surgical ICU had 14 CLABSIs, so an estimated two to three lives were saved in the last half of 2010.

An infection control nurse looked for breaches in technique and hygiene; performed daily assessment of central line dressings; and led daily meetings to teach best practices.

Incentive programs and removal of clutter from patient rooms and hallways for easier cleaning also helped. Go to www.eurekalert.org/pub_ releases/2011-06/afpi-ihe062411.php for more.

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New Hampshire Hospital Goes Green

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ochester, NH--Since 2009, Frisbie Memorial Hospital has worked to reduce its carbon footprint with a Green Team to cut costs and waste. Sustainability initiatives include recycling efforts; switching to high efficiency LEDs; replacing Styrofoam cups with recyclable ones; and recycling used batteries.

The emergency department uses a macerator to flush biohazard liquids. In 2010, Frisbie recycled more than 50 tons of cardboard, plastics, metals and paper products, as well as 1,169 light bulbs, 193 pounds of alkaline batteries, 364 pounds of rechargeable batteries and 1,200 pounds of medical devices from the landfill. A green store holds Velcro, tubing, furniture, and other materials which are free to staff or patients. The hospital is making plans to compost tons of food waste and looking at different composting companies.

To achieve all of this, Frisbie partnered with Green Alliance, a Portsmouth-based green business union which helps certify and promote sustainability-minded businesses. For more information, go to www.frisbiehospital.com or www.greenalliance.biz.

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The Value of Data: How to Demonstrate the Efficacy of Your Waste Management Program

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Leadership in Sustainability – University of California, San Francisco

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7 Hallmarks of a Great Workplace

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New Hampshire Hospital Recycles Food Waste

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VA Hospitals See Big Improvements in MRSA Rates

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