UPMC’s hospital and retail pharmacies have proactively participated in the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Drug Take Back Days for nearly 7 years.
On annual average, these events collected around 0.5 tons of unwanted medications, removing them from community access through environmentally sound disposal. Additionally, through education and new practices of small introduction doses, they minimize the waste of newly prescribed medications.
UPMC Food and Nutrition departments successfully integrate sustainability acts into engaging service options. Their initiatives include:
All UPMC campuses and facilities, owned and leased, are smoke-free, and smoking of any tobacco, narcotic, and e-cigarettes is prohibited.
Diesel-fueled delivery and transport vehicles are prohibited from idling during their service
UPMC offers support for multimodal transportation access to urban facilities, especially hospital campuses. Options include:
In addition, UPMC serves as title sponsor of WalkPittsburgh, which promotes active transportation options, such as walking.
Through multiple collaborations associated with facility design and operation, energy efficiency projects had impacts beyond operations and services.
A UPMC garage lighting demonstration project contributed to a revised City of Pittsburgh parking garage lighting ordinance to align with modern energy efficient technology.
Collaborating with municipal and utility partners, UPMC is installing a district energy-based microgrid in Uptown Pittsburgh, that will benefit others beyond UPMC.
Where possible, green spaces are incorporated into urban campus to mitigate urban heat cap.
In addition, UPMC IT infrastructure is environmentally and energy efficient. Service-side technology enables patients and visitors to conserve resources through opting for e-billing, e-documentation, e-sign-ons, and having their information managed through advanced electronic health records; all significantly contributing to reduce the paper and printing demand.
Remote access to medical experts and portable monitoring technology reduces the need for patients, caregivers and visitors to travel, reducing their impact on regional transportation emissions.
UPMC has a significant spatial presence throughout western Pennsylvania. Awareness of its impact on regional is demonstrated through such actions as: