Finalize and present your Sustainability Audit by integrating the research, the interview(s), and your chosen organization’s mission and vision. — LAC+USC Medical Center Write a 7- to 10-page Sustainability Audit on the organization you selected. You may include diagrams, flow charts, and other visuals. You must include the following:Overview of sustainability in health careWhat is sustainability in health care?Explain challenges to becoming a sustainable health care organization.Analyze successful sustainability practices in health care organizations.Overview of the organization you have selectedEvaluate the organization’s mission and vision statements.Discuss what sustainability practices are present.Evaluation of the organization’s sustainability opportunitiesUsing the matrix you created from Week Five, discuss barriers and benefits for each opportunity.Discuss possible innovative solutionsAnalyze how it contributes to the sustainability efforts of the health care organization.Include the following in the appendices: Annotated bibliographyWhat you learned from your interview (apply insight from the interview to your chosen organization)Note: Do not include the appendices in your page count.Attached is the Sustainability Draft
suatain._draft.docx
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Running Head: SUSTAINABILITY IN HEALTH CARE
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Overview of sustainability in health care
The ever-growing trend in the field of healthcare which is aimed at cutting costs across
the board while maintaining quality has led to a situation where hospitals have had to come up
with strategic plans geared towards sustainability in healthcare. Douglas (2005) asserts that
sustainability in healthcare entails the evaluation of systems and organizational practices and
implementation of cost-effective measures in line with an organization’s budget planning.
The justification of sustainability in healthcare emanates from a realization that ninetynine per cent of community-based hospitals in the united states only use regularly scheduled
HVAC maintenance with the funding meant for the maintenance of their HVAC systems not
exhibiting consistent funding since most hospitals prioritize the provision of patient services and
end up underfunding essential support departments in hospitals like the maintenance and
engineering departments. It is quite evident that when a choice has to be made between a health
facility purchasing new energy star HVAC system and maintaining the existing one, most
facilities opt to keep on maintaining the existing one while most of the time it will be more cost
effective over time to have replaced the HVAC system with a new environmentally friendly one.
Sustainability in health care
Simply put, sustainability in healthcare refers to the evaluation of all systems in a
healthcare facility which includes physical building infrastructure and organizational practices in
such a way that it will be cost effective and in line with the facilities budget without interfering
with the quality of the services. For instance, a credible health care facility needs to ensure it has
a resilient and highly reliable engineering system that guarantees safety for its patients. Unlike
other industries which can adopt cost-effective technologies without much caution, the
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healthcare industry is a very sensitive undertaking since it deals with the lives of patients thus
healthcare facilities must only adopt systems that have been tested and proven to work in the
industry. Considerations to be made in coming up with a strategic plan on healthcare
sustainability include factors the amount of available funding, processes of facility accreditation
and other low-risk factors( Douglas,2005)
Identify sustainability practices in an organization
According to Capolongo et al (2016), sustainability practices abound in all credible
organizations that believe in the notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Corporate social
responsibility is by and large a practice in organizations where the utilization of resources are
supposed to put into consideration today’s generations and that of future generations. In a
nutshell, corporate social responsibility supports the sustainability of resources by ensuring that
they can be replenished and expenditures are less than the income. Social and environmental
concerns must be demonstrated in an organizations interaction with the stakeholders. For
instance, most hospitals declare their facilities as smoke-free zones. This is a sustainability
practice since cigarette smoking especially passive smoking is quite disastrous to the health of
human beings. It is therefore evident that any organization that restricts smoking to designated
areas is practicing corporate social responsibility.
Organizations will also engage in sustainability initiatives like conservation of energy by
using energy star appliances, conserving resources like the use of automated water taps,
reduction of pollution and waste. A company that participates in recycling initiatives can also be
said to be indulging in sustainability practices. It is also worth noting that nearly all organizations
in the United States must satisfy a certain threshold of sustainability practices since there are
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legal and regulatory requirements which are imposed by the US Clean Air Act, US Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act And The US Clean Water Act among others.
Overview of LAC +USC
The acronym LAC +USC stands for the Los Angeles County and University of Southern
California Medical Centre. It is one of the leading and most credible health facilities due to its
affiliations with USC Keck School of medicine and Los Angeles County College of nursing and
Allied health. LAC+USC serves patients of southern California and has specialty units dealing
with neonatal health and trauma centre.it also operates a clinic specially dedicated to HIV/AIDS,
mental health facility and the violence intervention program which serves more than 20,000
victims of for domestic violence. It is reputed to be one of the premier teaching and referral
hospitals in the entire United States and operates a 600-bed facility.
Evaluation of the organization’s mission and vision statements
Since LAC+USC is a teaching and referral hospital its mission is the provision of
educational programs and career opportunities for health professionals to support the delivery of
services Los Angeles county health department. The vision of the hospital is to be the hospital of
choice and the best teaching and referral hospital in the state of California and the nation.
Sustainability practices are present in the organization
LAC +USC have exhibited several sustainability practices. One of the most
commendable is that the medical centre is accredited by the joint commission which is an
exemplary accreditation authority in the healthcare industry and health facilities accredited by
the joint commission on accreditation must satisfy very high standards and sustainability
threshold. The hospital is also accredited by the US Department of Health And Human Services
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and the California Hospital Assessment Reporting Taskforce (CHART). For a hospital to be
accredited by these three bodies, it must demonstrate the utilization of sound practices in water
and air conservation, solid waste disposal and generally have energy star appliances and systems
in its facility (Fleiszer et.al 2015)
Analysis of organizational change strategies to promote sustainability practices
LAC+USC through the quality improvement and patient safety department will maintain and
improve sustainability practices by keeping pace with the emerging trends in the industry and
ensuring they maintain the accreditation from the joint commission on accreditation which has
very high standards regarding sustainability practices.
Sustainability efforts in the community
The competitive advantage of LAC +USC has is its well educated and knowledgeable
staff.LAC+ USC has a very knowledgeable and results-oriented quality improvement and patient
safety department. The organization organizes continuous training for the health professional to
ensure they are well versed with the emerging trends in sustainable healthcare.
Public image
On its moral obligation of LAC+USC MEDICAL CENTER as the leading healthcare
facility in southern California, the organization’s relationship in the community is quite
exemplary. It provides services to vulnerable communities like victims of HIV/ AIDS and
domestic violence.
SUSTAINABILITY IN HEALTH CARE
Community relationships
LAC +USC Medical centre has cordial relations with the community due to the quality
healthcare facilities and its vibrant workforce. Additionally, the organization has a pool of
volunteers who come from the immediate community which is good. the sign that the hospital’s
relationship with the community is not suspect.
Community education
LAC+USC is a leading teaching and referral hospital and it participates in community
education initiatives through its vibrant volunteer department. It can be a challenge to do
volunteer work but worth it. Employees who work here have to have a wide range of skills and
be ready for any situation, it is a great place to learn.
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References
Capolongo, S., Gola, M., Di Noia, M., Nickolova, M., Nachiero, D., Rebecchi, A., … & Buffoli,
M. (2016). Social sustainability in healthcare facilities: a rating tool for analysing and
improving social aspects in environments of care. Annali dell’Istituto superiore di
sanita, 52(1), 15-23.
Douglas, C. H., & Douglas, M. R. (2005). Patient‐centred improvements in health‐care built
environments: perspectives and design indicators. Health expectations, 8(3), 264-276
leiszer, A. R., Semenic, S. E., Ritchie, J. A., Richer, M. C., & Denis, J. L. (2015). The
sustainability of healthcare innovations: a concept analysis. Journal of advanced
nursing, 71(7), 1484-1498.
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