Environmental Initiatives at Magee
Motivated by our deep commitment to the health of women, newborns, and the communities of our region, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC is a leader in advancing environmentally sustainable practices in health care. Along with other UPMC hospitals and facilities, Magee is innovating and creating models for disease prevention and reduction, linking all aspects of our mission to greening initiatives and environmental health, safety, and stewardship.
Award-Winning ‘Green’ Innovation
Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC is one of a select group of hospitals designated a National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Furthering our commitment to the health of women and infants, we’ve eliminated virtually all mercury-containing equipment from our hospital. Mercury is a common ingredient in thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, fluorescent lights, and batteries.
In recognition of our mercury-free commitment, Magee received the Making Medicine Mercury Free Award as well as the Partner Recognition Award from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, two premier national distinctions of environmental achievement in health care.
In 2009, Magee-Womens Hospital received the Partner for Change Award and the DEHP-Free Award from Practice Greenhealth. Our NICU has been free of PVC and DEHP since 2005. This award recognized those efforts.
In recognition of our education and outreach to health care professionals on topics of environmental health, Magee received the 2007 Children’s Environmental Health Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Children’s Health Protection.
Magee’s Green Team
Our Green Team, comprised of a representative body of hospital staff, sets goals, reviews, and measures our greening initiatives in coordination with UPMC’s systemwide Green Team. We are buying, building, and greening our operations from supply chain to waste management.
Environmental Education
Since 2005, Magee has included environmental education in its programming for new parents, in patient education materials, and in its childbirth and newborn classes. We are committed to educating parents, caregivers, and the greater community in creating a healthy, sustainable environment for ourselves, our children, and our future.
In 2009 we began to offer a stand alone, comprehensive environmental health class for childbearing families. This evidence-based, free class teaches parents about common environmental hazards and how to avoid them through simple lifestyle changes. Environmental health education is included in the Magee prenatal/postnatal online newsletter.
Each spring the Education Department at Magee hosts an Environmental Health Literacy Symposium for health care providers. The purpose of the symposium is to educate health care providers around current research in the field of environmental health and to supply tools to assist them in counseling patients. One helpful publication available through the University of California, San Francisco and developed with input from Magee educators can be found here: http://prhe.ucsf.edu/prhe/toxicmatters.html.
For more information on health education at Magee and for class schedules, follow this link http://www.magee.edu/hec/welcome.asp to our Health Education Calendar.
Community Education and Advocacy Partnerships
At Magee-Womens Hospital we collaborate with a number of health care and community partners.
Most notably in 2009, we partnered with Phipps Conservancy to create three organic courtyard gardens. The vegetables and herbs are utilized in healthy foods for staff and patients. The gardens were made possible by a generous grant from the Heinz Endowments.
Our educators also work with tithe Center for Victims of Violence and Crime to plan workshops on environmental health literacy for health care providers working with under-served and minority communities.
Women’s Health and the Environment
In April 2007, Magee partnered with The Heinz Endowments and Teresa Heinz Kerry to sponsor a Women’s Health and the Environment conference attended by 2,200 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.
This national summit focused on “new science” and “new solutions” to environmentally caused health problems and disabilities such as cancer, birth defects, infertility, learning disabilities, and cardiovascular disease. Speakers presented cutting-edge scientific research demonstrating increased health risks connected with environmental contaminants such as insecticides, lead, chemical pollutants, and estrogen-like compounds contained in everyday products.
The second Women’s Health and the Environment conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center was held in fall 2008. And a third is planned for April 21, 2010.
Growing Green
Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC shares in UPMC’s commitment to support systemwide waste reduction, energy efficiency, renewable resources, and conservation.
Greening milestones
At Magee, we are advancing environmentally friendly and sustainable operations throughout our hospital in many ways.
- Neonatal Intensive Care uses plastic materials that are DEHP- and PVC-free
- Food service has replaced plastic and foam food and beverage containers with biodegradable corn and paper products.
- Implementation of alcohol recycling in our labs
- We have extensive recycling programs in place for paper, plastic, cardboard, batteries, fluorescent lights, medical, and hazardous waste.
- Use of nontoxic cleaning products
- Remodeling of our antepartum and postpartum units using sustainable and environmentally friendly materials.
- Purchase of new indoor air quality meter
- Instituted paperless meetings
Resources and Partners
Magee’s role as a health care leader and environmental steward has been recognized and supported by foundation funding from The Heinz Endowments and the Johnson Family Foundation.
Since 2005, we’ve utilized this specially-earmarked funding to expand our role in environmental community education, health change, and women’s and infants’ health research. Our leadership group comprises representatives from Magee’s major departments.
We’ve also partnered with other UPMC hospitals such as Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Center for Environmental Oncology at Hillman Cancer Center, UPMC Shadyside, as well as national organizations such as Physicians for Social Responsibility, Healthcare Without Harm, Learning Disabilities Association, Women’s Health and Environment Network, and Hospitals for a Healthy Environment.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
In 2007, Magee hosted a Waste Minimization, Redbag Reduction, and Recycling Workshop focused in the areas of clinical and patient care, supply chain management, environmental services and safety, information technology, and food service.
Presented by Magee and Healthcare Without Harm, the workshop addressed comprehensive solutions to hospital waste, including materials exchange, global electronics recycling, medical waste safety, and food composting.
In 2008, Magee hosted Sustainable Landscaping Workshops for the UPMC system with Phipps Conservatory. Magee plans to install a “green” rooftop that new mothers can view from their rooms.
Magee Women’s Research Institute
Dedicated to achieving excellence in research related to the health of women and infants, the Magee Women’s Research Institute has received special funding from The Heinz Endowments to conduct environmental health research.
The goal is to translate knowledge of environmental influences on women’s and infants’ health into improved health care, including prevention and intervention.
Contact Us
For more information on environmental initiatives and education at Magee, contact: