Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E)

The primary goal of the H2E effort is to educate health care professionals about pollution prevention opportunities in hospitals and healthcare systems. Through activities such as: the development of best practices, model plans for total waste management, resource directories, and case studies; the project hopes to provide hospitals and healthcare systems with enhanced tools for minimizing the volumes of waste generated and the use of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals. Such reductions are beneficial to the environment and health of our communities. Furthermore, improved waste management practices will reduce the waste disposal costs incurred by the health care industry.

To achieve the program's goals, the American Hospital Association and the US Environmental Protection Agency signed a landmark agreement to advance pollution prevention efforts in our nation's hospitals. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which is the cornerstone of the H2E initiative, calls for:

Virtually eliminating mercury-containing waste from hospitals' waste streams by 2005
Reducing the overall volume of waste (both regulated and non-regulated waste) by 33 percent by 2005 and by 50 percent by 2010
Identifying hazardous substances for pollution prevention and waste reduction opportunities, including hazardous chemicals and persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic pollutants

For More Information...

Practice Green Health Home Page

Phone: 800 727-4179

EPA Region 7 Information and Contacts
For more information on activities ongoing within EPA Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska), contact:

Gary Schlicht
Phone:913-551-7097

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E)

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