In light of climate change, the pandemic, and water quality issues, sustainability and safer chemical usage has become a healthcare focus. Healthcare can both contribute to the problem and can be at the forefront of change. Are you aware that most cleaners, disinfectants, and germicidal wipes contain chemicals of concern that may threaten patients, the environment, and even give you a headache or worse?

Do you know what’s hiding in your tap water? Is it hard, soft, iron rich, or smelly like rotten eggs? How does water quality affect cleaning chemistries, and what can be done about it? And how can high purity water contribute to more effective cleaning? Certainly, water is important for the final rinse, but what about in the formulation of the cleaning agent itself and in the cleaning stages of instrument processing?...

Last week’s episode ended with a cliffhanger, we promised more on the critical parameters for detergent selection, sustainability, and the science of cleaning, how instrument chemistries are formulated for safety and effectiveness, and which cycles are best for automated cleaning.

Daytime TV serials are often called “soap operas” because laundry and dish detergent manufacturers have long been sponsors. The “opera” part is full of drama, passion, a plot where pressure is applied to force a decision, one which the victim was sorry to have agreed to in the first place. Just as “soap operas” use persuasive words, exaggerated statements, and even threats, to cancel out sound judgment or scientific principles...

According to USA Today, “A substantial increase in coronavirus infections was expected when this week's numbers came out, but nothing like this.”

The intensely rapid spread of the omicron variant and a backlog of cases from the New Year's weekend has resulted in U.S. health authorities tallying more than three times as many new cases as in any previous wave of the coronavirus -- over 1 million reported cases on Monday alone. About 1 in every 100 Americans will have been reported as a positive case in just the last week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

As discussed last week, the healthcare industry contributes to solid waste production, greenhouse gasses, and climate change. While a true statement, the news is that there are also ways that healthcare can reduce the impact it has on the environment, while reducing costs. Rigid reusable sealed sterilization containers are one of the best options for reducing hospital waste. Nevertheless, not all containers are created equal.

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As discussed last week, the healthcare industry contributes to solid waste production, greenhouse gasses, and climate change. While a true statement, the news is that there are also ways that healthcare can reduce the impact it has on the environment, while reducing costs. Rigid reusable sealed sterilization containers are one of the best options for reducing hospital waste. Nevertheless, not all containers are created equal.

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Sustainability is a topic that continues to gain attention in light of climate change and as a healthcare goal. Healthcare can both contribute to the problem and can be at the forefront of change. This week’s blog is a preview of our educational program scheduled for this Thursday. In fact if US healthcare were a nation, it would rank 13th in the world for greenhouse gas emissions? Yet many facilities are developing sustainability programs and discovering how even small changes can have big results. If you want to learn more about this critical subject...

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Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta

Now Omicron has arrived!

“The sky is not falling”, says Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of Tropical Medicine at Baylor. But just when we thought that the pandemic was behind us, scientists are now racing to understand the consequences of the Omicron COVID-19 variant that unexpectedly showed up in South Africa only days ago and has already become the current Variant of Concern. And we’re learning more, in the time between writing this week’s blog and posting it we now know that the Omicron COVID-19 variant has fifty or more mutations and is currently identified in 20 countries.

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