How this nurse helped a New Jersey hospital save $30K annually

A New Jersey hospital is saving up to $30,000 annually thanks to one nurse's creative idea to reduce waste, reports ROI-NJ.

Tami Ochs, RN, a behavioral health nurse at Summit, N.J.-based Overlook Medical Center, had the idea to transform the single-use blue wraps used to store sterile surgical instruments into tote bags for patients. The hospital was previously purchasing single-use plastic bags for patients admitted in emergency situations who didn't have anything to store their personal items in.

Ms. Ochs' solution saves about 100,000 plastic bags annually and prevents the blue wraps from heading to the dump. Repurposing the blue wraps into tote bags also allows Overlook to cut some of the costs associated with purchasing plastic bags or disposing of the blue wraps.

"We can save up to $30,000 per year with the replacement of the plastic bags," Michael Atanasio, Overlook's director of food and nutrition, parking and patient transportation, told ROI-NJ.

Ms. Ochs sews the bags in her free time and taps patients on the behavioral health unit to help with the prep work. Overlook is currently exploring options to increase bag production. The hospital also sells the tote bags in its gift shop for $2.99.

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