By Andrew Barna

More news from the West Coast. Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) has signed a deal with medical supplier B. Braun to purchase PVC/DEHP-free IV-bags and tubing. CHW claims that this move will not only improve patient safety, but will have a positive effect on the environment. See the full story here.

This is a commendable move from one of the larger health systems in the country. Providing safe, high-quality, cost-effective healthcare is not an easy task, indeed, it is all consuming. And yet CHW has made concern for the environment one of the pillars of its commitments to its communities. All not-for-profit hospitals need to demonstrate the benefits that they provide to their communities and environmental efforts should be counted among them.

Not knowing a whole lot about this aspect of hospitals, I located the California Waste Prevention Information Exchange on the internet. It seems to be a great starting place for ideas on how your hospital can reduce and/or mitigate its waste production.