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A minute-and-a-half video has led to lasting environmental and cost-saving impacts on UVA Health.

The seed was planted in fall 2023, at the International Collaboration of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (ICPAN) Conference in Amsterdam, when UVA Health Outpatient Surgery Center (OPSC) perioperative nurses Alicia White, BSN, RN, CAPA, and Tabatha Gilbert, BSN, RN, CPAN, watched the “This is the waste of one operation” video. At the end, viewers are challenged: “Is there another way?”

The duo returned to UVA Health University Medical Center — inspired to launch big changes!

Resource Stewardship

The first quandary they tackled: single-use, green plastic bags that were given to each UVA Health patient in pre-op to store their personal belongings during procedures. And with up to 60 procedures a day — that adds up to a lot of plastic heading for the landfill! A baseline assessment determined that in 2022, UVA Health used 132,760 personal belonging bags at a total cost of nearly $23,000. 

White and Gilbert’s solution? Replace the green plastic bags with reusable blue bins or donated blue reusable bags — or ask patients to bring their own bags through a simple script change in pre-op confirmation materials. To refine their proposed project, the nurses delivered a presentation to the UVA Health Sustainability Committee.  

“They’ve been really great with helping us to spread the word and make this initiative be as successful as possible!” raves Gilbert.

White concurs, “The committee has been a wonderful support and we’ve appreciated their collaboration on our plastic reduction initiative!” 

Kicking It Off

The nurses launched a pilot program in OPSC, Orthopedic Center Ivy Road (OCIR), and UVA Health Surgical Care Riverside to decrease the number of plastic bags by 31,043 and save more than $5,000. The final goal? By the end of 2025, reduce plastic bags by 80 percent in high risk areas — and by 60 percent hospital-wide from the 2022 baseline. 

White and Gilbert are excited to report: so far, so good! The three-month pilot program from February to April 2024 eliminated the use of 7,324 plastic bags. They say in many cases, patients felt very comfortable bringing their own personal bags. The pilot program went so well, the measures will continue. White and Gilbert are hoping for 29,292 bags saved in a year and nearly $5,000 in cost savings which supports the UVA Health strategic plan goal of strengthening our foundation through the initiative of resource stewardship. 

All three outpatient surgery sites also have been providing bags sewn from the reused, blue, operating room (OR) wrap and donated by long-time volunteers Peggy and Charles Anderson with UVA Health’s MERCI (Medical Equipment Recovery of Clean Inventory) program, which collects clean medical supplies and sends them to other UVA or UVA Health departments, humanitarian organizations, etc. These “OR wrap bags” are used as an alternative to plastic bins when necessary, and given to patients who: 

• Have been admitted to the main hospital. 
• Are in isolation and did not bring their own bags. 
• Have surgical discharge supplies to take home. 

Bringing Awareness

The nurses’ motivation? “To see that the impact that plastic waste has on our environment is profound and recognizing that small changes in our work area may be small — but can have a big impact,” says Gilbert. 

“Plastic waste presents great harm to our environment and wildlife,” adds White. “I’m so excited this initiative has allowed us to support culture change — and bringing awareness is how change begins.” 

“Plastic contamination of our environment is an emerging public health threat,” says Matthew Meyer, MD, Co-Chair, UVA Health Sustainability Committee and Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, UVA School of Medicine. “White and Gilbert have demonstrated tremendous leadership by creating this plastic waste reduction initiative at UVA Health.”

All Aboard!

Others' reaction? “We’ve received lots of positive feedback from team members and patients about our sustainability efforts,” says White. “Our goal was not to disrupt workflow and not to burden the bedside RN with implementing this initiative.” 

“Team members are extremely supportive of this initiative,” agrees Gilbert. “We were adamant that this didn’t have a negative impact on workflow and patient care, making it an easy transition to help with buy-in. I also think patients are receptive and appreciative of the efforts being made at UVA Health toward sustainability. I would say around 70 percent of patients are bringing their own bags now — positive feedback with the change!” 

Learn more about sustainability progress at UVA Health.