Energy-saving retrofits
A green makeover across our hospital sites is already starting to reduce our environmental footprint. Niagara Health is halfway through a contract with Ecosystem Ontario to make energy-saving retrofits to our physical plants. When fully implemented, the retrofits will have the same greenhouse gas reduction effect as taking nearly 1,000 vehicles off the road. This project will also save the hospital $1.2 million annually in natural gas, electricity and water for years to come, a major reduction to our $6-million annual utility bill.
Projects include changing boilers that heat the Port Colborne and Niagara-on-the-Lake sites from steam to hot water, ventilation system improvements, heating plant optimization and heat recovery systems at several sites. A total of 25 energy-saving measures are underway to be completed by August 2012.
Patients and staff will notice improved comfort when the project is complete and will benefit from better regulated temperature control, improved fresh air flow and energy-efficient lighting.
The environmental benefits are substantial. When completed, these retrofits will save 1.4 million cubic metres of natural gas, 1.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity and 215 million litres of water annually.
The $12-million investment by site is as follows: Douglas Memorial Site – $1.1 million; Greater Niagara General Site – $4.1 million; Niagara-on-the-Lake Site – $432,000; Port Colborne Site – $1.7 million; Welland Site – $3.7 million. «
Maintenance Engineer Irv Poirier is able to control the Niagara-on-the-Lake Site’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems with the click of a mouse.
Use our resources wisely
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Improving Alternate Level of Care (ALC) rates – In 2010-11, we set a goal to reduce the number of ALC patients in our acute-care beds to meet our Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) target of 11%. Patients are designated ALC when they no longer require hospital care but are unable to return home to independent living. In 2009-10, 19.27% of our acute-care beds were occupied by ALC patients, and to reduce that number, hospital staff worked closely with Community Care Access Centre case managers so more patients could receive the services they require in the community. By the end of March 2011, we reduced our volume of ALC patients to 11.6%, which has allowed us to utilize our acute-care beds better to serve more people.
- Bright Ideas for the budget – In the past several months, there has been a renewed focus for the staff suggestion program called Bright Ideas. To get fresh ideas on managing the budget gap, staff members are being asked to fill out a Bright Ideas form, normally used to suggest improvements to our sites and services. So far, 47 submissions directly about saving money have been received from all staff levels. Those ideas are examined by finance staff and, where possible, are being implemented.
- Clinical Connect – Our doctors are part of a new initiative that shares patient medical information with hospitals throughout Niagara and beyond on a secure network. Called Clinical Connect, the pilot program gives doctors and other healthcare providers secure, real time, anywhere access to their patients’ electronic medical records via the internet and desktop or tablet computers. The information includes lab results, transcribed reports, records of visits, medications and more. Benefitting most are ER patients with serious conditions, especially during the night, when collecting meaningful data is a challenge.
- OR supply chain – Last year, Niagara Health received funding to create a more efficient way to stock the Operating Rooms at Welland Site. The goal was to improve supply chain replenishment processes and transition the job of replenishing OR carts to Materials Management staff, which would allow nursing staff to spend more time on clinical services to help us achieve better clinical staffing levels. Gone are multiple supply rooms and wasted OR consumable supplies (sutures, syringes, etc.). In the first year, we saved $50,000 in OR supplies and based on that success, Niagara Health has received additional funds to carry out the same project at Greater Niagara General Site.
