Winnemucca News

Winnemucca News

HGH taking steps to reduce - 03-23-2010

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WINNEMUCCA.—Humboldt General Hospital is doing its part for a greener community.  The facility has made some changes recently which officials hope will result, not only in energy savings, but cost savings as well.

 “It’s a goal we’ve had for some time,” said CEO/Administrator Jim Parrish of the hospital’s efforts to reduce its environmental “footprint.”  “As we’ve taken a look at things and brainstormed and listened to our maintenance team and our staff members, we’ve been able to hone in on some simple things that have made a big difference at our facility.”

One of those “simple” things is the hospital’s purchase of a $13,000 cardboard baler that has reduced the facility’s landfill load by about 1,000 pounds each week.

The even better news is that the cardboard has become a cash generator. Humboldt General Hospital Maintenance Director Craig Prest said the hospital produces one bale each week and the baler will pay for itself in a few years depending on the salvage cost of cardboard.

Another small change that is netting big dividends is new lightbulbs throughout the facility. Prest’s department is switching out the hospital’s 75-watt incandescent lightbulbs—the highest wattage the electrical system will allow—with 100-watt compact florescent lightbulbs.

“Not only are we giving our staff and our patients 25 percent more light,” said Prest, “but we’re seeing about a 75 percent drop in energy use. Plus, the new bulbs provide 10,000 hours of light—nearly 10 times that of a traditional incandescent bulb which also reduces manpower costs to replace them.”

Maintenance also recently installed new Variable Frequency Drives that, based on information from the recently upgraded Building Temperature Control Unit, can speed up or slow down the two 50 HP supply fans depending on the demand load of the building.              

Prest said that this system will even place itself on “hold” when the outside temperature matches the building’s inside temperature. “We just go into a holding pattern,” he said, “because at that point there is no need to expend energy.”

 As the hospital looks toward a 30,000-square-foot expansion that will be completed by summer 2011, Prest said energy efficiency is at the top of his wish list.

That project will see the addition of a medical office building to the front of the existing hospital structure as well as a smaller expansion of some departments including radiology, admitting, receiving, the business office, medical records, administration and emergency.

              In all, eight medical office suites will be added to the new first- and second-story space that will offer a central reception and scheduling area.

“And it looks like we are going to see those things come to pass with lighting controls, motion sensors, higher efficiency lights and HVAC systems,” said Prest. “It’s going to be a new era in efficiency for HGH.”

Other departments are doing their part in the hospital’s movement toward green. Purchasing Manager Theresa Bell encourages hospital employees to turn in old batteries and printer cartridges, which she then sends in for recycling. In all, she has collected approximately 100 pounds of batteries and enough cartridges to merit notice from Hewlett Packard.

Radiology is trading out traditional imaging films for a PACS, or Picture Archiving and Communication System. Not only does the digital movement make it easier to have radiologists read studies off-site, but the department has eliminated the toner chemicals that are so notoriously harmful to the environment. What’s more, as old films are scanned into the PAC System, they are sent to a facility where their silver content is extracted for further recycling.

Even the kitchen has joined in the fight against waste. Staff members there are working to reduce the amount of paper products in the dining area. Paper cups, plates and plastic utensils will all give way to dinnerware that can be washed over and over—at a huge cost, energy and environmental savings.

Then, there are the very simple things at the facility, such as making sure that all staff members have access to email, which ensures a drop in the amount of paper used to communicate site-wide. Plus, all departments are encouraged to share files as much as possible through the hospital’s new $2.5 million computer system in order to further reduce the paper load.

 Jordan Passy, a member of the hospital’s IT team, said that system alone has cut the hospital’s paper usage by half. “But it’s not enough,” he said. “We want to go totally paperless, and we’re going to get there.”

That’s not just a wish, it’s a goal, said CEO Jim Parrish. “We have a dynamic team—people who truly care about their patients, their environment and their community. These changes don’t happen in a vacuum, they impact us, and they impact our community in very good, very positive ways.”

He added, “We are excited and motivated to see what other changes we can make to continue with these good, energy-saving efforts.”

For more information on the “green movement” at Humboldt General Hospital, please call HGH CEO/Administrator Jim Parrish at (775) 623-5222, ext. 123.  HGH is located at 118 Haskell St., Winnemucca, Nevada.

Written by HGH Press Release - 3/23/10

• Winnemucca News