Ever wonder what happens to all the disposable surgical gowns, drapes and basins used in ORs every day all across the country? You guessed it-every year, millions of pounds of this medical waste end up in our landfills or incinerated as biohazardous waste.

But making the switch from disposable to high-quality, re-sterilized products reduces medical waste and helps to protect the environment. “It’s estimated that up to 70 percent of medical waste generated by a hospital’s operating rooms can be eliminated through the use of re-sterilized surgical products,” said Angeline Pratt, Director of Perioperative Services at MCG Health System. 

Since fall 2005, MCG Health System has partnered with SRI Surgical, a Food and Drug Administration-regulated company that provides processing, assembly, sterilization and delivery of all products required for surgery. On a daily basis, the company delivers sterile gowns, drapes, towels and basins to the operating rooms at MCG Health System. At the same time, used products are picked up by SRI Surgical for reprocessing at one of their 10 FDA-regulated processing centers.

“Our company’s mission is to deliver innovative solutions that help hospitals improve their operating efficiency and protect the environment. We are proud to partner with MCG Health System and commend them for taking positive steps to reduce the amount of medical waste generated,” said Gene Kirtser, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at SRI Surgical. “By choosing to use SRI’s surgical products, hospitals benefit patients, families and the community.”

“As a community partner, it’s our responsibility to do what we can to help keep our community clean and eliminate waste,” said Pratt. “We take this responsibility very seriously, and have estimated that on a monthly basis, this initiative alone prevents 3.5 tons of biohazardous products from entering the waste stream. In addition, as of May 2006, this partnership has enabled us to save an estimated $343,000 in supply costs. By reinvesting these monies in additional equipment and services, we have been able to positively impact patient care.”

MCG Health System is the only hospital in the Augusta area partnering with SRI Surgical. The company serves 27 hospitals throughout the state of Georgia.

About MCG Health System:

MCG Health System is composed of three separate organizations -- MCG Health, Inc. and the clinical services offered by the faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the members of the MCG Physicians Practice Group Foundation. The physicians of MCG Health System are community physicians, faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia, or employees of the MCG Physicians Practice Group Foundation, not employees of MCG Health, Inc.  MCG Health, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCG Medical Center, MCG Children’s Medical Center, the MCG Sports Medicine Center, MCG Ambulatory Care Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center and related clinical facilities and services. MCG Health, Inc. was formed to support the research and education mission of the Medical College of Georgia and to build the economic growth of the CSRA, the state of Georgia and the Southeast by providing an environment for faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the MCG Physicians Practice Group Foundation and community physicians to deliver the highest level of primary and specialty health care.  For more information, please visit www.MCGHealth.org.

About SRI Surgical:

SRI Surgical (www.srisurgical.com) provides central processing and supply chain management services to hospitals and surgery centers across the United States.  SRI Surgical’s state-of-the-art, FDA-regulated, service centers provide daily processing, assembly and delivery of all the reusable and disposable products and instruments required for surgery.  This innovative capability establishes a new benchmark for hospital efficiency and OR productivity.  SRI Surgical serves hospitals and surgery centers in 19 states from 10 reprocessing facilities, one disposable product facility, and 4 distribution centers located throughout the United States.