Dignity Health achieves 10 ton milestone of eliminating single-use plastic using plant based clinically designed products for the O.R.
The milestone demonstrates how small changes can have a big impact
San Rafael, California, October 15, 2020 –NewGen Surgical is pleased to announce that Dignity Health has achieved a 10 ton milestone of single-use plastic eliminated from their operating rooms using NewGen Surgical needle counter products. A needle counter is a small container used to secure needles during surgery.
With hospitals in the US generating 13,000 tons of waste every day—one million tons per year attributed to single-use plastic products and packaging—the healthcare industry represents an enormous opportunity for waste reduction. “ We developed the Small Change, Big Impact™ environmentally preferable purchasing program as a way to measure and report the plastic and carbon impacts of products. Dignity Health has been an important, early partner in this endeavor. With just one product line change, needle counters, Dignity Health eliminated plastic by 10 tons. This milestone defines so well the impact we can have with simple product changes,” said Robert Chase, Founder and President of NewGen Surgical.
“Our mission to contribute to resilient and healthy communities is at the core of our smart procurement strategies,” said Sister Mary Ellen Leciejewski, system vice president of environmental sustainability for CommonSpirit Health and Dignity Health. “We are thrilled this one small product change added so quickly to a meaningful amount of plastic waste being eliminated from the supply chain. Moving away from excess resource consumption means that we’re working towards a circular economy where there is an emphasis on renewability. This milestone shows that the healthcare sector can lead a societal transition to eliminating single-use plastic disposables and excess product packaging. Climate change seems insurmountable, but we’ve seen that small adjustments over time can make a big difference. This is one of many changes we’re making to improve the health of our communities and the planet.”
“Increasingly, hospital systems want plastic reduction solutions,” said Mr. Chase. “By replacing single-use plastic with upcycled plant-based products, hospitals can achieve a reduction of plastic in the environment and Scope 3 CO2 emissions. Healthcare systems also want to measure these climate-smart purchasing decisions. Our Small Change Big ImpactTM program does that. We worked with leading environmental scientist, Ann Blake Ph.D., who co-authored the plastic scorecard with Mark Rossi Ph.D. of Clean Production Action, to offer a program that brings transparency into the supply chain. The program provides sustainable product solutions as well as reporting the Scope 3 CO2 emissions and plastic reduction data associated with products. Every product has a footprint and every purchasing decision counts.”
About Dignity Health
Dignity Health is a multi-state nonprofit network of 10,000 physicians, more than 60,000 employees, 41 acute care hospitals, and 400-plus care-centers, including community hospitals, urgent care, surgery and imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics in Arizona, California, and Nevada. Dignity Health is dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care with special attention to the poor and underserved. Dignity Health is a part of CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit health system committed to advancing health for all people and dedicated to serving the common good. For more information, please visit our website at www.dignityhealth.org
About NewGen Surgical, Inc.
NewGen Surgical, Inc. develops and manufactures sustainably designed plant-based, single- use medical devices and products. The company’s mission is to offer clinically effective product solutions to measurably reduce plastic waste and Scope 3 CO2 emissions. NewGen Surgical products are California Prop 65 compliant; free of intentionally added BPA or BPA derived plastics, mercury, phthalates, and PVC. Currently, the company offers 6 product lines, available direct or through major national distributors American Contract Systems, Cardinal Health, Concordance Healthcare Solutions, Medline Industries and Owens and Minor. Founded in 2012 in the San Francisco Bay Area, NewGen Surgical is a member of Practice Green Health’s Greening the OR® Initiative and Think Beyond Plastic® Accelerator, was commended in the 2015 Circular Economy Awards of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum and recipient of the California Product Stewardship Council 2018 Green Arrow Award for circular economy innovation. Learn more: www.newgensurgical.com
