Health care's primary mission is to provide quality care and provide for the health of the community. Remaining true to the mission can be a challenge in the face of the Balanced Budget Act, other economic constraints and staffing shortages. MnTAP can help your facility meet these challenges by providing tips to increase resource efficiency, save money and protect the health of the community.

How? By addressing waste and toxicity in your facility. Waste is lost resources. Single-use devices and associated packaging become waste, consequently the dollars spent on those items are essentially thrown away. Chemicals discarded down the drain are lost assets. Who hasn't lamented the volumes of food thrown away in the cafeteria or from patient trays?

The wellbeing of the communities health care institutions serve is affected by waste. Incineration creates dioxins, acid gases and heavy metal releases to the air. Air pollution affects not only people with asthma, heart disease and pulmonary disfunction, but it affects healthy people, too. Not all chemicals sent to the sewer system are treated or removed. Many are discharged to lakes and rivers that provide drinking water. Landfills are unsightly, dusty and create toxic leachate that can contaminate groundwater. Landfills also use up precious land that could be used for homes or wildlife.

In 1998, the American Hospital Association and the Environmental Protection Agency signed a landmark agreement to work with the healthcare industry to eliminate persistent bioaccumulative toxics (such as mercury, dioxins, lead and some pesticides) from its waste, and to reduce the volume of waste 50% by the year 2010. This initiative is called "Hospitals for a Healthy Environment" or "H2E".

What can your institution do conserve those resources that are currently going to the landfill, incinerator or sewer? How can you eliminate or substitute less toxic chemicals? MnTAP uses experienced staff and the tools of H2E to assist you with answers to those questions. We can perform site visits and provide tips for waste reduction. We can research and provide suggestions for the elimination of toxic chemicals such as mercury, glutaraldehyde and other toxic chemicals.

These Web pages offer ideas and resources for preventing pollution. They also provide information on the environmental and safety rules in Minnesota for the health care industry.

If you have environmental questions related to the health care industry, contact Catherine Zimmer at 612.624.4635 or e-mail Catherine. From greater Minnesota, call 800.247.0015 and ask for Catherine.