August 1999

HOSPITAL MERCURY REDUCTION PROJECT KICKS OFF

NHHA’s Foundation for Healthy Communities has teamed up with the NH Department of Environmental Services, EPA-New England, and the University of New Hampshire to help find ways for New Hampshire’s hospitals to reduce their mercury use.

The project focuses on mercury because it has long been known to have toxic effects on humans, fish and other wildlife. Hospitals contribute to the mercury problem through either the onsite or offsite incineration of mercury-containing waste. Because air emissions affect water quality, forty states, including New Hampshire have fish advisories limiting consumption of freshwater fish due to mercury contamination. Mercury releases can be reduced through proper disposal, recycling and source reduction. The goal of all project partners is simply to find out how much mercury is out there and assist hospitals in reducing or eliminating those volumes through education and technical assistance.

How much mercury is really out there? Right now, that’s anybody’s guess. Past experience has shown that hospitals often have the perception that they are already mercury-free, and are amazed to find out how much they still have after a total facility audit is done. To facilitate the audit process, the project partners developed a comprehensive survey called the NH Mercury Reduction Project: Hospital Baseline Survey. The survey was sent to a key staff person at each acute care hospital in the state, including directors of safety, environmental services, education, engineering, materials management and more. Call Debbie Augustine at 225-0900 if you’d like to know who received the survey at your hospital.

Because of their interest in EPA-New England’s Mercury Challenge program, Franklin Regional Hospital (FRH) and Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (APD) were chosen as pilot sites for the project. FRH has already completed the baseline survey and found they have very few remaining sources. The hospital has done a lot to educate their staff and community through the use of newsletter articles, bulletin boards, lunchtime lectures and adding mercury and fish advisory brochures to their prenatal information packets. APD is in the process of completing the baseline survey and determining the areas they wish to target, including employee education. A site visit was recently conducted to view their mercury reduction efforts and recycling methods. They are presently reviewing educational materials to decide which would be best suited to their community.

What can your hospital do to be part of this cutting-edge project? Easy. Fill out the baseline survey and return it to Debbie Augustine at the Foundation for Healthy Communities by September 1st. Remember, your hospital’s participation in this survey is vital to the success of this very important state-wide project.
INTRODUCING H2E

By now, who doesn’t know that Y2K stands for the year 2000 or that R2-D2, everybody’s favorite collection of stainless steel, was back again in this summer’s Star Wars prequel, but how many of you have heard of H2E? H2E = Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, a unique partnership between the American Hospital Association and the U.S. EPA, designed to help hospitals reduce the amount of waste they produce in caring for patients.

Twelve active work groups made up of health care employees and professionals from many fields nationwide have been meeting regularly via conference calls, faxes and e-mail to implement H2E goals. A group called the Environmental Leadership Council (ELC) has been directing the effort to cut hospital solid waste in half by 2010 and "virtually eliminate" mercury from the health care waste stream by 2005.

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment Progress Report: H2E’s Baseline Data Survey is currently being piloted in several New England hospitals and early this fall, every AHA member hospital will receive a survey. In the meantime, the Best Practices workgroup has developed draft criteria to help hospitals select appropriate practices for volume reduction, toxicity reduction, and cost savings, while the Environmentally Preferable Products workgroup has developed a process tool to help hospitals make product selection decisions. The Educational Programming, Communications and Awards/Recognition workgroups have also been busy developing their programs.

The next meeting of the ELC will be in late September. If you have ideas to share, contact AHA’s lead staffer in the effort, Kathy Svedman, executive director of ASHES (American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services) at 313-422-3861. You can also contact Debbie Augustine, a member of the Educational Programming workgroup, at 225-0900 or daugustine@nhha.org.


BLITZ YOUR WASTE AWAY!
The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) has come up with another way to reduce hospital waste and give new life to materials that might otherwise end up in the trash. It’s called the DHMC Trading Post, an e-mail materials exchange bulletin for DHMC departments looking for additional supplies or equipment or those with extra supplies in need of a new home. To list items, employees simply e-mail the Trading Post, list and describe the wanted or available items, provide a name of a contact person and how to reach them. Items posted are intended for reuse within DHMC and they are automatically removed after one week, but can be re-posted as needed. Any items not needed by other departments are considered for donation to the Upper Valley Materials Exchange for use in area schools or non-profit organizations. What better way to unload some of the "stuff" your hospital would otherwise have to pay to get rid of?
 FISH STORY NH DES has a brochure for hospitals to share with their patients called Mercury in Freshwater Fish. It explains what mercury is, how it gets into freshwater fish and what some of the health effects are from eating it. If you’re interested in receiving copies of the brochure call the NH Dept of Health and Human Services Bureau of Health Risk Assessment at 1-800-852-3345 ext. 4664.


PITCH IN FOR PROJECT PERFECT WORLD:
Cleaning out your supply closets? Don’t pitch out those old blades and bandages - donate them to Project Perfect World. With the support of the Association for Healthcare Resource and Materials Management (AHRMM), Project Perfect World sends medical teams to perform maxillofacial and dental surgery on poor children in third world countries. To get a list of needed supplies, or learn more about other ways to help, call AHRMM at 312-422-3840 or visit their website at www.ahmm.org and click on Project Perfect World.
September 9: Is There Cash in Your Trash? Strategies to Improve Your Waste Management

MA Hospital Association Conference Center, Burlington, MA, 1:30 – 4:00 pm. With budgets constricting and waste management costs rising, learn waste segregation and management strategies that improve environmental health and safety, and your bottom line. For more info contact MHA’s Andy Freed at 781/272-8000 ext. 269 or afreed@mhalink.org or visit their website at http://www.mhalink.org/edu_99_752W.cfm.

October 1: Deadline for 1999 EPA Partner for Change: Mercury Challenge program applications.

To be recognized as a 1999 Partner, EPA-New England needs to receive your application by 10/1/99. Don’t miss out on the chance to reap the benefits your hospital deserves for its mercury reduction efforts. Contact Peggy Bagnali at 617-918-1828 or banali.peggy@epa.gov with any questions or for a program brochure and application.