Climate resilience has become an important part of the Wolica Hospital strategy. We understand the risks and vulnerabilities the hospital faces due to climate change and are making the necessary changes to protect patients and staff. By becoming more resilient, we can help prepare for the increasing impacts of climate change. Before we embark on this year’s investment plan and the activities planned as part of preventive healthcare, we would like to provide a summary of the past year.
2022 was full of investments to reduce the carbon footprint, reduce waste, digitise the facility and reduce paper consumption, strengthen energy security,
The hospital completed the following tasks:
a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Unit for, among other things, people with complications caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection was opened, built using modular technology to reduce the carbon footprint, with a total area of 800m2, and the Outpatient Clinic for Lung Diseases and Tuberculosis was relocated to the hospital site;
construction began on a modular link between the above building and the existing hospital building, with a total area of approximately 300m2;
All the roofs of the buildings belonging to the hospital have been covered with photovoltaic panels, and 2 ground-mounted installations have also been created. The installation consists of 458 modules. The total capacity of the PV installation is 200kWp;
a 145kW generator was commissioned – this increased the power supply to the back-up circuits and ensured patient safety and continuity of hospital operations in emergency situations;
a rainwater storage and irrigation system for green areas was installed – the retention system will enable up to 450 m3 of water to be retained on an annual basis where it falls as rain and reused to irrigate the 700 m2 of land around the hospital building;
The vacuum unit was replaced and the Vacuum Pump Room was modernised, optimising the vacuum supply processes to the wards and improving the energy efficiency of the system;
project documentation was prepared for the comprehensive renovation of hospital wards to reduce electricity, gas and water consumption and improve living conditions for patients;
The dissecting room was modernised and the refrigeration equipment was replaced with cadaver refrigerators running on an environmentally friendly refrigerant – thus improving the energy efficiency of the building and eliminating Freon;
The Eskulap IT system was upgraded to a browser-based version (web version) with the migration of all existing licences and the functionality of the system was extended to include the area of Doctors’ Desks – thus introducing electronic document circulation and reducing paper consumption;
the 3 tonne oxygen tank was replaced with a 6 tonne tank, reducing the frequency of deliveries and increasing patient safety;
a biodegradable waste composting facility was purchased, reducing food waste by 90% per year;
an EDC Plus cabinet for storing bronchoscopic instruments was purchased to optimise storage, washing and drying of medical equipment;
stocks of disinfectants, protective materials and personal protective equipment were collected;
through the purchase of specialised software and IT equipment, the cyber security of the facility has been increased;
a grant was obtained for the implementation of the project entitled ‘Accessibility Plus for Health at the W.S. ZZOZ Chorób Płuc i Gruźlicy in Wolica k ∕ Kalisz’, which aims to improve the level of architectural, ICT and digital accessibility of the facility for people with special needs, including people with disabilities;
joined the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals network
organised the 1st International Conference on the Role of Green Hospitals in Combating Climate Change.
in cooperation with the UN Global Network Poland and Philips Health Care, co-produced the Green Hospitals report, which was presented at the 11th edition of the World Urban Forum (WUF11); the green hospital policy and achievements of the Wolica hospital were also presented at the PFSz Autumn Programme Conference (JKP);
an inter-state agreement was signed with a hospital in Greece to promote environmentally sustainable activities that can have a positive impact on reducing the carbon footprint, limiting the amount of waste generated and making rational use of resources.
educational campaigns were conducted among patients on the proper storage of cytostatic drugs used as part of the lung cancer drug programme administered orally at home, and on the proper segregation of waste, as well as a regular medical picnic entitled Saturday for Health. In addition, a number of outreach activities were organised, including free chest X-ray examinations for the local community.
procedures have been developed related to, inter alia, environmental management, a water safety plan, in case of a possible climatic disaster, a water consumption management plan including a stock plan for drinking water in case of a crisis, a stock plan for essential medical products
The total measurable value of realised projects amounted to nearly PLN 15.5 million in 2022. , of which subsidies obtained from external funds amounted to more than PLN 15.4 million. Wolica Hospital is actively working to reduce the environmental impact of the health sector and improve public and environmental health.
