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Like lichen and moss on a log, Plisko Sustainable Solutions, LLC works with partners, collaborators, and clients that all mutually benefit from shared relationships. The synergy is evident in the stormwater management project for which PSS recently received a Congressional Citation (See
Results below) and in the Clean Collaborative (See
Strategy below). PSS is proud to bring expertise and knowledge to the community for improved health, environment, and economy!
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Strategy: Collaborative (Spring) Cleaning
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For nearly two years,
Plisko Sustainable Solutions has been part of the
Clean Collaborative, a joint program that tracks how well front-line workers clean patient rooms and public areas in hospitals, long term care facilities, and ambulatory surgical centers. In partnership with
Clean Health Environmental, the
Maryland Patient Safety Center,
Hygenia,
Acme Paper and Supply Company, and 24 health care facilities in Maryland, the team hypothesized that:
Proper cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas and quantifiable validation of such methods will assist healthcare facility managers and infection preventionists in reducing healthcare associated infections (HAIs).
According to the American Hospital Association, collaborative programs are an excellent tool for improving data quality. Across the country, organizations are using collaborative approaches to solve some of the most important health care concerns of the day including MRSA, sepsis, and hand hygiene. Collaborative healthcare programs enable multiple providers and provider types to work simultaneously in achieving individual goals in order to achieve a common goal or endpoints. Benefits of collaboration platforms include more efficient information sharing, collaboration across silos, tasks tackled in a project-based way, reducing communication and operational costs, increasing innovations, and more.
The Clean Collaborative team has collected 12 months of data from participating health care facilities and will begin analyzing the data to assess how well the quantifiable validation method worked.
~PLEASE TAKE THIS ONE QUESTION POLL ABOUT DISINFECTANTS~
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Do you, or the person who cleans your home, use a disinfectant in your house? (Select one)
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Yes, I disinfect areas such as the bathroom or kitchen regularly.
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Often I use a disinfectant when someone is sick, for example.
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Occasionally I use a disinfectant for "spring cleaning."
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No, while I clean my home, I never use a disinfectant.
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I am not sure the difference between a cleaner and a disinfectant.
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Integration: Solar - No Building Too Small
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Solar energy is an important clean and renewable energy source, and solar panels and arrays come in a variety of sizes.
HUGE: Did you know that the largest solar installation in the world is in China? The 850 megawatt
Longyangxia Dam Solar Park can power 200,000 homes at the peak of production and is ten square miles in size.
BIG: Still relatively big, but on a smaller scale, the
Johns Hopkins Hospital and schools of medicine, public health, and nursing are supplied by a solar farm of 43,000 panels which
produce 13 megawatts of solar energy.
SMALL:
Tesla, will soon be introducing solar shingels that are built to resemble traditional roof tiles. These thin, photovoltaic sheets can replace or lay on top of existing shingles, capture energy from sunlight, and be installed in any environment.
TINY: Notice the small solar panel on the Tiny Library in the picture above? There is no building too small to keep alight with solar energy.
Consider solar energy for your home or business as a way to invest in the health of the next generation!
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Results: Green Infrastructure Project Leads to Congressional Citation!
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On April 4th, the
Chesapeake Bay Trust (the Trust),
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR),
MedStar Harbor Hospital,
Blue Water Baltimore, and
Plisko Sustainable Solutions announced plans to design nine green infrastructure facilities at MedStar Harbor Hospital. With funds awarded from the Trust's Watershed Assistance Grant Program (a program jointly supported by the Trust, DNR, and the Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Program) the project at MedStar Harbor Hospital is the next step in a long-term plan to reduce runoff and flooding on the hospital’s grounds. The new green infrastructure facilites will treat 18 acres of the hospital’s impervious surface, which currently discharges stormwater into the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. The project will also create green spaces that can be used by patients and even be prescribed by doctors to allow recovering patients to get outdoors and enjoy fresh air.
Pictured here, from left to right:
Dennis W. Pullin, President, MedStar Harbor Hospital,
Jana Davis, Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Trust,
Joanne Throwe, Deputy Secretary, Department of Natural Resources,
Joan D. Plisko, President, Plisko Sustainable Solutions LLC,
Carl Simon, Interim Executive Director, Blue Water Baltimore,
Brian K. Gray, Director, Clinical Engineering & Environment of Care, MedStar Harbor Hospital.
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About Plisko Sustainable Solutions
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Joan Plisko, PhD, President
Marc Plisko, CIH, Vice President
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Plisko Sustainable Solutions (PSS) can help your company develop, optimize, and appraise environmental health, exposure assessment, and sustainability programs. The PSS team will provide expertise and guidance as you improve your company's economic, environmental, and social performance.
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