NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Premier Healthcare Alliance Employees Safely Recycle, Dispose of 10 Tons of Computer and Electronic Devices

Discarded computers and electronics are toxic hazardous waste that make up the fastest growing portion of the nation's waste stream. Every year, the healthcare industry is responsible for the consumption and disposal of millions of electronic devices. Studies estimate that 315 million to 600 million desktop and laptop computers in the U.S. will soon be obsolete. The challenge for healthcare organizations is disposing of outdated or used devices while staying conscious of the environmental and health threats posed by information technology (IT) waste.

Web-based resources provided by the Premier Safety Institute guided Premier's recycling effort. The Web site section on computers and electronics in healthcare provides strategies for environmentally conscious purchasing and comprehensive tools and resources that help healthcare organizations follow the hierarchy of "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" for disposition of IT equipment.

"These resources are useful for any organization, and offer guidance on everything from preparing and packing the equipment to assisting with the location of a local recycling company," said Gina Pugliese, RN, MS, vice president of the Premier Safety Institute.

Said Matt Freeman, manager of Premier's End-User Support Services team, "The equipment, which included more than 50 cathode-ray tube monitors, 350 computers (with the hard drives removed), and more than 250 pounds of related equipment such as peripherals, was placed on full-size pallets, shrink-wrapped and removed by CompuTel, a Charlotte-based green electronic equipment recycler."

CompuTel subscribes to the Electronics Recycler's Pledge of True Stewardship developed by the Basel Action Network, the world's only organization focused on confronting the excesses of trade in toxic wastes, toxic products and toxic technologies.

Premier's Corporate IT Services desktop team evaluates equipment to determine if it can be reused or if it needs to be disposed of. The team also helps employees safely dispose of at-home computers and related electronics, such as cell phones and batteries, using the Premier Safety Institute resources.

To find a source to donate old computers and electronics, the Premier Safety Institute Web site provides a link to a National Recycling Coalition-sponsored database of recyclers, reuse organizations, and municipal programs that accept discarded electronic equipment.

About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient

The Premier healthcare alliance is more than 2,300 U.S. hospitals and 66,000 other healthcare sites working together to improve healthcare quality and affordability. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier maintains the nation's most comprehensive repository of clinical, financial and outcomes information and operates a leading healthcare purchasing network. A world leader in helping deliver measurable improvements in care, Premier works with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has offices in San Diego, Philadelphia and Washington. Follow Premier on Twitter.

Premier Inc.
Alven Weil, 704-733-5797