Aspirus Health
recently presented Stephanie Dulak, RN, manager of Aspirus Wausau Hospital’s
emergency department, with its Climate Champion award. In honor of Dulak’s
remarkable environmental sustainability efforts, five trees are being planted
in the Superior National Forest in her name.
Dulak earned the
Climate Champion award for identifying and leading a project to reduce the
amount of waste the emergency department generates by replacing single-use,
disposable EKG leads with reusable ones. EKG leads are attached to patients’
chests for use in monitoring the electrical activity of the heart. Rather than
throwing out these leads after each patient, the reusable EKG leads are
thoroughly cleaned and then reused.
This project allows
the emergency department to:
- Cut down on its
landfill waste by about 14,400 pounds a year.
- Save $46,000 in
supply costs a year.
- Receive less of the
unnecessary packaging supplies come in.
- Avoid carbon
emissions associated with transporting supplies for delivery or disposal.
After a temporary
switch to reusable EKG leads in 2021 proved successful, clinical emergency
department leadership committed to the permanent implementation of reusable EKG
leads in the department beginning July 1, 2022, as a means of helping reduce
Aspirus Health’s environmental footprint while continuing to provide patients
with the best quality care possible.
“It feels great to
implement a small change that has such a large impact both financially and
environmentally,” Dulak said. “We have cascaded this information to our
other business units and encouraged them to participate in the same way.”
Presented by the
committee that oversees system-wide environmental sustainability efforts at
Aspirus Health, the Climate Champion award recognizes employees who identify
and implement sustainable practices, and demonstrate leadership and innovation
through:
- Reducing waste
(material, energy, water, carbon equivalents and more).
- Improving the
patient experience and employee safety.
- Supporting
operational performance.
Aspirus Health is
committed to aggressive environmental sustainability goals for the health of
the communities it serves. Goals for the Aspirus system hospitals include
reducing carbon emissions by 80% and reducing energy costs by 50%, both by
2030.