Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Going Green for the Greater Good - March 2020 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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"It's a great feeling to know there are other people out there that are taking my idea and doing the same thing to help out those in need," says Ms. Marella. "I just hope it continues." Through email and other encounters, she and other blue wrap enthusiasts point each other to new sewing patterns. Others around the country have created tote bags, sleeping bags and more out of the stuff. Ms. Marella still sews the mats herself, with some help from local Girl Scouts and other clinicians. They only take about five minutes to make, and she's produced around 3,500. Ms. Marella believes reusing blue wrap saves facilities money. "When surgical teams collect wraps for me, 10 or 15 in one bag weighs a lot," she says. Since many facilities pay their waste vendors based on weight, throwing blue wrap out can be costly as well as wasteful. The U.S. healthcare system generates billions of pounds of waste every year, and ORs produce about a third of that waste. A blue wrap project could kick off larger green efforts at your facility. "I see this as a stepping-stone to launching a recycling and a repurposing program," says Ms. Marella. "This is an easy way for you to get started, and then ask, 'What else can we do?'" OSM 4 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A R C H 2 0 2 0

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