UF Health Celebrates Earth Day and Its Commitment to Sustainability
On Friday, April 21, UF Health will host its annual UF Health Campus Earth Day celebration in the UF Health Shands atrium with displays of sustainability initiatives and giveaways.
UF Health continues to make big strides toward environmental sustainability with efforts both inside and outside of the operating room.
“The Hippocratic Oath says to do no harm, and we really should try to do no harm not only to our patients but to the environment as well,” said Lauren Berkow, MD, professor of anesthesiology and co-chair of the UF Health Sustainability Committee.
Sustainability in the OR
According to Berkow, one of the most important initiatives involves discontinuing the use of desflurane, an inhalational anesthetic gas with a significant environmental impact. UF Health has also implemented low-flow anesthesia practices to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. To facilitate this initiative, UF Health has invested in software on all anesthesia machines that guide anesthesiologists in using lower flows.
Samsun Lampotang, PhD, professor of anesthesiology and director of the Center for Safety, Simulation and Advanced Learning Technologies, has partnered with the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation and the American Society of Anesthesiologists to create a free low-flow anesthesia course. All anesthesiologists are encouraged to take the course, which teaches how to reduce fresh gas flow, agent consumption and environmental impact.
UF Health has also implemented the use of prefilled syringes to reduce pharmaceutical waste. Special bins are used that inactivate controlled substances so that they do not end up contaminating the environment. In addition, there are reusable sharps containers throughout the hospital that are collected by a vendor partner, cleaned and brought back for reuse. There is also a reprocessing initiative where single-use items are sent to a third-party processor for cleaning, sterilization and testing before being sold back to the hospital at half the cost.
Another significant environmental sustainability initiative is trash separation. UF Health divides its trash into clear-bag and red-bag trash cans. The former goes to a landfill, and the latter is incinerated. This reduces the hospital’s carbon footprint and generates cost savings.
Additionally, “What Goes Where” posters have been installed in all the operating rooms to guide staff on proper trash separation.
Initiatives Outside the OR
In addition to the environmental sustainability initiatives inside the operating room, UF Health has also implemented various initiatives throughout its hospitals.
Steps have been taken to reduce energy consumption. Motion sensors have been installed in certain areas of the hospitals that turn off the lights when there is no movement detected, and low-flow water fixtures have been installed to reduce the amount of water used. Used water is also collected and reused to irrigate plants.
Styrofoam has been eliminated in all the cafeterias and patient trays, locally sourced and sustainable food and plant-based menus are promoted for patients and visitors, and all excess food is either composted (if used) or collected and donated to local schools and shelters (if unused).
Overall, UF Health is committed to sustainability and is constantly implementing new initiatives to reduce its environmental impact.
"I think it's everybody's responsibility to do our best to take care of the environment, not only for ourselves but for future generations,” Berkow said. “Every little thing that we can do to reduce our impact, whether it's recycling, reducing energy consumption, using environmentally friendly products or segregating our trash, all makes a difference.”
By taking these steps toward sustainability, UF Health seeks to not only contribute to a healthier environment but also promote a healthier community.