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September 20, 2022 05:00 AM

From the Editor: Providers’ ESG efforts can help tackle thorny public health issues

Mary Ellen Podmolik
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    Mary Ellen Podmolik
    Editor-in-Chief

    “This is not something that we can mandate on our own.”

    It’s a sentiment that could apply to so much in healthcare. But in this case, it’s one of the many quotes in our compelling cover story, which delves into a complicated topic: how to keep medical supplies and devices safe for patients without potentially sickening people through the processes used to sterilize those products.

    It is more than a conundrum. It is a public health issue, and it should be one of the many concerns at the core of the environmental, social responsibility and governance efforts within health systems.

    For more than 60 years, ethylene oxide has been used in the healthcare industry to sterilize medical equipment. It’s used in other industries too. The Environmental Protection Agency designated ethylene oxide a human carcinogen in 2016.

    Six years later, a trial that recently got underway in Chicago is the first of hundreds of personal injury lawsuits filed by consumers who allege the ethylene oxide emissions from a suburban facility made them sick.

    Health disparities reporter Kara Hartnett learned about the issue of ethylene oxide, and its use in healthcare, from speaking with experts in environmental justice.

    To tackle the story, she talked with manufacturers and academics, dug through EPA documents, checked in with states that have taken action, and interviewed people who either allege they became sick because of ethylene oxide emissions or are fighting proposals to locate facilities in their communities. She also looked into pilot programs to reduce emissions and into alternative processes that have their own limitations, particularly for healthcare.

    In her conversations with health systems, Hartnett found executives intent on looking at their supply chains and trying to reduce their carbon footprint as part of their ESG efforts, which are getting back on track after being derailed by the pandemic.

    “Healthcare facilities know ethylene oxide is an issue in their supply chain and they aren’t proud of that,” Hartnett said. “Right now, it’s really about taking that next step to solve it with manufacturers and government agencies without putting people in harm’s way.”

    Download Modern Healthcare’s app to stay informed when industry news breaks.

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    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Digital Health
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Unwell in America
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Supply Chain
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing