Great ideas wanted
People who work in health care know the system best. That’s why I’m committed to continually asking for your feedback when it comes to improving care for patients and making the health care system better overall. When I ask for your ideas on innovation and more patient-centred care, I’m on the hunt for the big and small ideas that will move us towards a more sustainable system that will best serve patients long term – and also help shape a workplace where our staff and physicians can do their best work every day.
But I’m not the only one interested in your ideas. Our provincial government includes something known as the BC Select Standing Committee on Health. This is an all-party body that regularly calls for and reviews submissions and evidence on alternative strategies to improve all aspects of the provincial health care system. Right now, the Committee – like VCH – is grappling with the issue of sustainability and your voice is needed.
The Committee is seeking written submissions from stakeholders – like health care workers and physicians – as well as the public on how to maintain health care sustainability for the benefit of British Columbians. The deadline for written submissions is December 31, 2014.
If you are interested in learning more, I encourage you to check out the call for submissions and the Committee terms of reference here.
And don’t forget, those same good ideas will always have an audience in me as well. You can reach me at mary.ackenhusen@vch.ca.
FENG-JENG LIN
Improving Our Recycling Renewal Programs’ Effectiveness and Generating Revenue
Dear Mary,
The consolidation of Lower Mainland Health Authorities was intended to reduce expenditures. However, increased recycling rate has also led to increased tipping fees, straining the fiscal conditions of the Health Authorities.
There is room for improvement. I offer a framework for implementing a comprehensive recycling system. The objective is to reduce or eliminate tipping fees for recyclable material waste (roughly > 3000t/y; tipping fee: $0.17/kg) while creating revenue, which can in turn be used to improve the health service that we provide to the Lower Mainland. This can be done by reforming our current recycling renewal programs and establishing:
1. Material Waste Management and Surveillance Center (MWMSC) and Recycling Fund Management Board (RFMB) provides guidelines for segregating material waste; reforms the current material waste collection system; establishes an online reporting management system.
The benefits of this system are:
(1). It removes the need for employees of the recycling companies to sort and recover our recyclable material waste by hand. It also ensures work safety for employees of Lower Mainland Health Authorities and our services providers.
(2). It allows Lower Mainland Health Authorities to monitor, real time, what happens to the recyclable material waste through quality control and quality assurance.
(3). Information collected through online reports helps the Recycling Fund Management Board (EES group/team) to
i) find ways to minimize or prevent the generation of recyclable material waste,
ii) explore business opportunities or
iii) find ways to reduce expenditure by converting recyclable material waste into green energy used by our system.
(4). It allows us to expand our recycling opportunities and increase waste diversion rate to meet Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste challenge goal.
2. Material Waste Recycling Centre (MWRC): acting as temporary storage of the material waste which has been collected and sorted; equipped with automatic baling system, washing and grinding system and renewable fuel generating system. Green energy or renewable fuel will be generated after the Centre becomes fully operational. The green energy or renewable fuel, containing little or no sulfur, can be obtained at prices lower than market price. Lower CO2 emission can be achieved by using this energy or fuel in our utility system such as supply chain distribution vehicles, VCH’s inter-hospital bus, SMH shuttle bus, and for generating electricity.
The benefits of this Centre are:
(1). Once the Recycling Centre becomes operational, Lower Mainland Health Authorities will no longer have to pay the annual tipping fee of $498,400 for material waste.
(2). $413,250 in annual revenues can be generated by selling the material waste (paper, metal and glass, 25% of the plastic).
(3). Approximately 462,839 gallons of renewable fuel will be produced every year.
(4). $709,258 in fuel or energy savings (the price difference between $1.00/litre at fuel market price and the cost of generating green energy or renewable fuel by the Recycling Centre).
(5). After accounting for annual operation cost, the amortization period for the initial investment for establishing the Recycling Centre is approximately four to five years.
(6). Total obtainable each year is approximately $1,620,908 ($498,400+$413,250 +$709,258=$1,620,908), after accounting for operation cost and amortization payments.
I offer these suggestions based on my observations while working as a pharmacy assistant at VGH. I also have eighteen years of experience working as an environmental engineering project manager at a German consulting engineering company, with experience in developing and implementing industrial and hazardous (biomedical) waste management and surveillance (centre) projects in Germany and Taiwan. Taiwan’s case in particular offers a good starting point for consideration, as the centre has been operating for over ten years and is treating biomedical waste at a rate close to 100%.
If possible, I would appreciate an opportunity to meet you in person and share some additional thoughts.
Thank you and Happy New Year,
Feng-Jeng Lin