Partner for Change Award presented by Practice Greenhealth to Kimbrough
Kimbrough recognized for environmental stewardship
Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center received the 2020 Partner for Change Award from Practice Greenhealth in recognition of successful programs to reduce an organization’s environmental impact.
It is the third time Kimbrough received the award. which is given annually to recognize health care facilities that continuously improve and expand upon programs to eliminate mercury, reduce and recycle waste, and source products sustainably.
Kimbrough’s efforts in reducing waste include recycling over 10 years of X-ray films that weighed 4,707 pounds — more than two tons.
“We had to make sure we were doing it properly so personally identifiable information was not at risk,” said Kandy Williams, deputy chief of Environmental Health. “Everything is now digital, and hard copies take up a lot of space.
“We could not have recycled that amount of X-ray films without the incredible support from U.S. Army Public Health Center and Disposition Services at the Defense Logistics Agency.”
Additional achievements in reducing environmental impact include recycling 35% of total waste, where the minimum is 15%, and recycling 60,000 pounds of cardboard.
Williams noted that the close coordination with other sections within Kimbrough made recycling 30 tons of cardboard possible.
“Logistics and Housekeeping [departments] are the biggest reason we were able to recycle so much cardboard,” she said.
Generally, between 20% and 30% of a hospital’s waste stream may be generated from Surgical Services. Kimbrough’s efforts in reducing waste in the operating room was through reprocessing single-use devices.
“They saved an estimated $4,327 through their medical device reprocessing program,” Williams said. “By sending these items to the reprocessing facility, it prevents them from going into the waste stream.”
Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading health care community dedicated to transforming health care worldwide so that it reduces its environmental footprint, becomes a community anchor for sustainability, and a leader in the global movement for environmental health and justice.