CHANS Home Health Care Environmental Efforts

In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, CHANS Home Health Care has undertaken a number of energy and materials saving measures over the past three years.

Paper

In October 2006 CHANS Home Health Care staff started converting patient information from paper records to electronic medical records, and in June of 2008, we went completely paperless, using our secure computer system for all documentation and storage of patient records. This move represents a significant reduction in the volume of paper that is disposed of from the CHANS Home Health Care offices.

Paperless records allow our staff access to a patient’s entire record of care easily both in the office and in the field. This assures that vital information about patient care is recorded as care is given, and that all members of the patient’s care team have immediate access to the latest information about the patient for better patient care and outcomes.

Any paper used in our offices is recycled, after being shredded, by Data Destruction Services.

Computers

In compliance with HIPAA standards, all outdated computers are stripped of all patient information, and recycled by Uniwaste Services Inc.

Medications

In 2005, CHANS Home Health Care became a founding participant in Medication Collection Day, a bi-annual community partnership event that collects unused, unwanted, and out-dated medications for disposal in an environmentally safe manner. CHANS’ staff actively encourage patients to participate in the program.

CHANS Home Health Care is working to establish a partnership with Safe Medication Disposal for ME, a program that allows individuals to mail their unused and unwanted medications to the Department of Environmental Protection of Maine for disposal in an environmentally safe manner. Currently, the program is on hold due to state funding issues. For more information about this program, visit http://www.safemeddisposal.com/.