Environmental Stewardship

Local waste reduction efforts_Providence Montana

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Environmental Stewardship – Local Waste Reduction Efforts Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Montana St. Patrick Hospital is an outstanding example of waste optimization. For two years in a row, St. Patrick Hospital has achieved a major waste reduction milestone – more than 50 percent of their waste is now being recycled or safely diverted away from landfill or incineration (achieving 52.9% in 2019). They are the only ministry in our family of organizations to achieve this goal. This incredible accomplishment was achieved through the "Green 4 Good" program run by the local green team. This multi-pronged approach focused on reducing waste from food, linens and garbage. Here are a few key successes: • 37 percent less food waste by composting, tracking food waste, and educating caregivers – leading to $100,000 in food spend savings • 7.3 percent less white copy paper use, in collaboration with caregivers and IT staff • 50 percent less disposable plastic spoon usage in one unit, saving 3,000 spoons from going to landfill • 2,442.4 pounds of medical supplies were donated and diverted from landfill • Over 200,000 water bottles diverted from landfill • Additionally, St. Patrick Hospital pursued sustainable procurement with dual purpose IVs and repurposed blue wrap from the OR into sleeping bags for a local homeless shelter. TIP: The caregivers responsible for these impressive successes at St. Patrick Hospital say that communication is key! They put a lot of effort into educating caregivers on the proper way to dispose and segregate waste. They created color-coded signage, newsletters, a group called "Waste Shepherds" and practice sessions for proper waste segregation to help with the education process.

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