NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Sustainability is no longer an option, rather, it’s a priority for Sentara Health System as it swapping out old practices and ramping up on waste reduction.
In a move to scale down on its carbon footprint, Sentara is permanently ending the use of single-use syringes used for half-a-million CT scans each year.
The ongoing use of plastic single-use syringes for CT scans had piled up into a massive problem, and one Sentara Health recognized needed a solution.
“They were very bulky, took up a lot of space, and they were very expensive,” said Diane Bruce, Sentara CT and MRI department supervisor. “The major push was to decrease bulk waste disposal, microplastics in the waterway, as well as decreasing significant costs, which would translate to the patient, or insurance companies.”
Bruce said two to three times daily, personnel would have to dump trash due to the high accumulation of syringes. Roughly 250 CT scans are administered per day at the hospital in Norfolk.
Throughout the entire Sentara system, the waste and disposal costs amounted to a whopping $2.3 million. Now with the usage of a bulk contrast injector, Sentara projects it will reduce plastic waste by 78,000 pounds yearly.
It’s a sharp contrast compared to the original syringe. Bruce said the sustainability move significantly decreases the amount of storage required within the CT department, allowing for more focus on other supplies, but it’s equally as beneficial for patients.
“We can move patients in and out of the rooms much faster,” Bruce said. “It’s on the fly, ready to go for the technologist. So it’s rapid movement of patients through the scanner, which means it decreases their wait time, whether in the EDI or as an inpatient or as an outpatient.”