Select a health care setting and organization on which you will focus for your sustainability initiative (e.g., local hospital, veterans’ hospital, ambulance service, urgent care, nursing home).
Analyze the setting and organization you have selected and break it down to the main departments, employee roles, operating activities, and so on. While doing so, brainstorm opportunities to reduce costs or eliminate waste while improving patient care or outcomes.
Review the list of sustainable initiatives from the list below, and select one that you want to promote for your selected organization:
Energy efficiency
Lighting
IR scanning
Cogeneration
Kanban Inventory
Device exchange
CR pack reformation
Device reprocessing
Red bag waste reduction
Blue wrap recycling
Note: Ensure that the opportunity you select correlates with the setting you select. Additionally, if you want to complete a sustainable initiative that is not on the list, obtain approval from your instructor before completing the assignment.
Identify data sources you might need to collect and analyze for your initiative. Consider contacting people in the industry and in your organization who may be able to help.
Write a 525- to 700-word summary of the sustainability initiative you want to promote at the health care setting you selected. Your proposal should:
Create a clear vision or mission statement that defines the scope of the initiative and would generate buy-in.
Define what outcomes you expect to achieve over time.
Be specific with what you can realistically deliver.
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For this assignment, I have selected a local hospital as the health care setting and organization on which I will focus my sustainability initiative. The hospital is a medium-sized facility, providing a wide range of medical services including emergency care, surgical procedures, and specialized treatment for various health conditions.
Breaking down the organization, the main departments in the hospital include emergency services, surgical services, medical services, diagnostic services, administrative services, and support services. Each department has specific employee roles, such as doctors, nurses, technicians, administrative staff, and support staff. The hospital also operates various activities such as patient admission and discharge, medical procedures, diagnostics tests, patient monitoring, and follow-up care.
After analyzing the organization and its operations, I have brainstormed opportunities to reduce costs or eliminate waste while improving patient care or outcomes. One opportunity that stands out is implementing energy efficiency measures throughout the hospital. By improving energy efficiency, the hospital can reduce energy consumption, lower utility costs, and contribute to a greener environment.
For the energy efficiency initiative, I would create a clear vision or mission statement that defines the scope of the initiative and generates buy-in from hospital staff and stakeholders. The mission statement could be: "To minimize our environmental impact, improve patient care outcomes, and reduce operational costs by implementing energy-efficient measures throughout the hospital."
The outcomes expected over time would be reduced energy consumption, lower utility costs, improved patient comfort and satisfaction, and a more sustainable and environmentally friendly hospital. Specifically, the hospital aims to achieve a 15% reduction in energy consumption within the first year of implementation, leading to significant cost savings and a positive impact on the environment.
Realistically, the hospital can deliver on this initiative by conducting an energy audit to identify areas of improvement, implementing energy-efficient lighting systems, utilizing infrared (IR) scanning to detect energy leaks and optimize HVAC systems, and exploring cogeneration as an alternative energy source. These measures can be implemented gradually, allowing the hospital to continuously improve its energy efficiency over time.
To collect and analyze data for this initiative, the hospital can utilize internal resources such as energy consumption data, utility bills, and equipment specifications. Additionally, contacting industry professionals and specialists in energy efficiency can provide valuable insights and guidance throughout the implementation process.
In conclusion, the proposed sustainability initiative for the local hospital is to implement energy efficiency measures. By creating a clear vision or mission statement, defining desired outcomes, and focusing on realistic deliverables, the hospital can promote a more sustainable and environmentally friendly healthcare setting while reducing operational costs and improving patient care outcomes. Collecting and analyzing relevant data will provide the necessary information for effective implementation and monitoring of the initiative.