NewsLine — September 2009 - (Page 10)

The Denver Hospice: Working for a Greener Future By Lynn Bronikowski T he Denver Hospice’s Environmental Stewardship Program began with a caregiver’s comment: “Please fi nd a safer way to dispose of medications without poisoning our water supplies.” Out of that plea written on a comment card, Team Green was born in 2003—a pioneer program to safely dispose of medications without poisoning landfi lls and water systems. Once a common practice, the disposal of unused medications down sinks and toilets is no longer advised since pharmaceuticals are being found in lakes, rivers and drinking water resources. “Our staff, including our pharmacist, went to work years ago— ahead of federal guidelines—to come up with an environmentally friendly drug disposal method,” said Bev Sloan, CEO of The Denver Hospice. “Our hospice nurses had a passion for fi nding a solution and after extensive research and a pilot project in our Inpatient Care Center, our team developed a kit for nurses and guidelines for safe disposal of meds.” (See page 11 for the kit’s contents and guidelines.) “People from across the country wanted to know about our medication disposal program and other agencies were turning to us for help,” said Sloan. “Our hope is that we can help people throughout the U.S. avoid ever flushing medications again.” A Nationwide Model The Denver Hospice program has since become a model for others—from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association to the Colorado Hospice Organization and NHPCO. “At the time of a love one’s death, the task of disposing medications can be daunting, so we wanted to come up with a simple solution,” said Sloan. “Our families have thanked us for not only giving them some guidelines, but helping them feel they are doing their part to protect the environment.” Interest in Team Green grew even stronger last spring when Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fi ndings turned up residues of pharmaceuticals in fish caught near wastewater treatment plants serving five major U.S. cities. Findings from the fi rst nationwide study of human drugs in fish tissue also prompted the EPA to significantly expand similar ongoing research to more than 150 different locations. “It’s a great feeling to know that we proactively did something unique and novel, and created something that didn’t exist before,” said Sloan. “And we recognize there is more to do.” The Denver Hospice has also created an internship program with Colorado State University to research and develop “greener” methods throughout the organization and to partner with other businesses on medication disposal issues, legislation, and possible development of a drug take-back program. Lynn Bronikowski is communications director of The Denver Hospice (Denver, CO), which she joined in January 2007 after operating her own freelance writing and public relations business. Prior to that, she was a journalist at newspapers in Ohio and Florida, and spent 13 years as a reporter and editor at the Rocky Mountain News. 10 NewsLine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine — September 2009

NewsLine - September 2009
Contents
Introduction
Archstone Foundation Grant: Exploring the Role of Spiritual Care in Palliative Care
Working for a Greener Future
Transforming Care at the Bedside
Point of Care Documentation: Perception Versus Reality
A Technophobe Signs On
Utilizing Volunteers More Fully
HIPAA and Technology: Some Considerations
Keeping the Attending Physician Involved

NewsLine — September 2009

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