Environmental Sustainability
Our commitment to sustainability
Taking care of our environment is critical to ensure good health for our patients, employees, and our community. Staff at the River Falls Area Hospital have already taken many steps to reduce energy usage and waste production. Their Green Team is a model for the rest of the system.
Practice Greenhealth’s Partner for Change Award
Awards
Regina Hospital and River Falls area hospital has earned a Practice Greenhealth Partner for Change Award for the fourth year in a row. The award recognizes superior performance in a range of different sustainability programs and activities including energy, waste, procurement, and greening the operating room.
Green Team Achievements
Left: Staff at River Falls Area Hospital celebrated Earth Day 2022 by collecting trash and cleaning up the grounds of their hospital campus.
Energy Efficiency
River Falls Area Hospital is purchasing 100% renewable energy from local utility through energy blocks to power facilities.
The green team leaned into energy efficiency by:
- converting to LED lighting throughout the campus
- updating variable frequency drives (VFDs) to be more energy efficient
- installing energy efficient water heater and water softener systems
- using the building management system to increase the number of areas that use set-back scheduling.
Waste Reduction
The site recycles blue wrap, a covering for sterilization trays, through Merrick, Inc.
In addition, surplus medical equipment and supplies are donated to Matter. Matter sends the material to hospitals and clinics in places like Senegal, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Rheaply
In 2021, Allina Health created the system’s first ever circular economy program through a partnership with Rheaply. Rheaply is a reuse platform that allows staff to post unused and surplus items, and exchange them with internal staff or external donation partners. This is a major waste diversion and cost savings initiative for the entire system.