Governor Cuomo Announces $79 Million in Comprehensive Energy-Efficiency Improvements at Stony Brook University (September 2019)
Stony Brook Leads by Example, Already Completing More Than $50 Million in Energy-Saving Measures Under Governor Cuomo
On Aug. 19, New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced $79 million in comprehensive energy-efficiency improvements at Stony Brook University. When complete, the energy-saving upgrades will reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campus by 28,000 tons a year, saving the University nearly $6 million in energy and maintenance costs annually.
“Energy-efficiency upgrades at SUNY schools are just one of the many ways in which New York is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving costs throughout public buildings across the state,” said Governor Cuomo. “The Stony Brook project is emblematic of our commitment to fighting climate change and securing a cleaner, greener future for all New Yorkers.”
Leading the Way in Energy Efficiency
“Stony Brook is among the top universities and top public universities in the nation and recognized as a leading institution combining research and undergraduate education,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul when she visited Stony Brook University to make the announcement. “The more than $79 million in energy-efficiency improvements at the University will modernize the campus, save the school $6 million annually and advance our bold clean energy goals. Stony Brook is a leading example, reducing its carbon footprint and helping in our efforts to combat climate change with energy-saving investments and projects across the state.”
Financed and implemented by New York Power Authority (NYPA) in partnership with SUNY, the extensive improvements at Stony Brook University, which include residence halls, science buildings and Stony Brook University Hospital, encompass a variety of energy-saving measures:
- Lighting upgrades
- Ventilation upgrades
- Building management upgrades
A Model for SUNY
SUNY schools make up 40 percent of New York’s state-owned buildings and are one of New York’s leading energy users. The SUNY Clean Energy Roadmap, announced earlier this year, represents SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson’s sustainability vision for the SUNY system. Led by NYPA and in collaboration with other key New York energy agencies, the plan seeks to increase the use of renewable energy sources, improve energy efficiency and help combat climate change.
“SUNY is not only at the forefront of clean energy research and innovation — we are focusing on our operations to make a more energy efficient and sustainable infrastructure for the benefit of our communities and New York State,” said Chancellor Johnson. “Investing in clean energy and energy efficiency is happening on all our campuses, through the leadership by Governor Cuomo on preserving our environment and in partnership with state agencies including NYPA and NYSERDA, and businesses such as PSEG. We are pleased with the results announced today and look forward to replicating this success on other SUNY campuses.”
Building on Success
“Stony Brook University is thoroughly engaged in responsible stewardship of resources, saving money and being as efficient as possible, which includes implementation of energy-saving initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Michael A. Bernstein, Interim President, Stony Brook University. “With strategic direction from Governor Cuomo’s BuildSmart NY program, leading to the successful efforts of the New York Power Authority, administered by our outstanding Facilities and Services office, this is a win-win all around, and we’re proud to welcome Lieutenant Governor Hochul as we celebrate these collective efforts.”
The ongoing energy-efficiency measures throughout the Stony Brook University campus build on Stony Brook’s legacy of reducing its carbon footprint through energy-saving projects. Under Governor Cuomo, NYPA and SUNY have partnered to complete more than $50 million in energy efficiency upgrades on the Stony Brook campus to remove nearly 16,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere while saving millions of dollars.
The completed projects range from lighting and ventilation upgrades to the implementation of a pilot project of NYPA’s innovative New York Energy Manager, a web-based energy data management system that provides customers with real-time insights for energy-use reduction.
PSEG Long Island provided more than $500,000 in rebates to Stony Brook University to date and has committed $1.7 million in additional rebate support for separate projects underway throughout the campus.
Innovative Healthcare Sustainability Efforts
“We have much more to do, especially in the State of New York, to reduce our energy consumption and help combat climate change,” said Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, Senior Vice President, Health Sciences and Dean, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. “Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine have a proven track record of successful sustainable efforts, and with the additional $79 million in energy improvements from the state, we can build on our accomplishments to make the most positive change.”
Stony Brook Medicine has a longstanding commitment to employing innovative sustainability practices that protect the environment while keeping patients safe and comfortable. As a result of this robust healthcare sustainability program, Stony Brook University Hospital has consistently been recognized for its leadership on environmental sustainability, most recently from Practice Greenhealth, a national organization that promotes best practices in environmental stewardship.
“The Governor’s announcement demonstrates how well Stony Brook Medicine’s commitment to sustainability closely aligns with the State of New York, SUNY and Stony Brook University,” said Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Stony Brook University Hospital. “I’m proud that the energy-saving initiatives that we’ve implemented on East Campus, including Stony Brook University Hospital, the Health Sciences Tower and Basic Sciences Tower, have had a significantly positive impact on the environment.”
Stony Brook University Hospital Reduces Insulin Waste (October 2019)
Program Helps the Environment, and Cuts Costs
With an estimated 30 million people in the United States having diabetes, insulin is one of the most frequently prescribed drugs in a hospital.
But when insulin is administered to hospitalized patients, the process produces waste. And in addition to the waste potential, insulin is a “look-alike” medication; there can be confusion among insulin products and mix-ups between insulin and other medications.
To cut down on waste and reduce risk, Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) has changed its medication distribution process for insulin. As a result of the hospital’s efforts, annual insulin waste has been reduced from 460 to 105 pounds, reducing waste fees by $270 per year. And SBUH is now keeping approximately 2,500 vials of insulin annually out of the waste stream.
SBUH staff initially decided to purchase the smallest available vials of insulin for each type of insulin purchased, label and dispense each vial to be used for an individual patient only, and store only emergency doses of insulin in automated dispensing cabinets.
This approach greatly reduced insulin errors. But at the same time, it greatly increased the amount of waste generated.
Since many presentations of insulin contain a small amount of the preservative M-cresol, considered an RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) hazardous waste, it was decided that insulin waste at Stony Brook would be disposed of in a separate waste container and collected as RCRA hazardous waste.
After receiving new waste containers for insulin, the pharmacy staff soon realized how much insulin was disposed of on a daily basis, because the containers filled up quickly.
The hospital wanted to reduce this level of waste. Their insulin waste reduction initiative focused on one type of insulin only. Insulin glargine was chosen because this type of insulin is dosed only once or twice per day and thus would not have as large an impact on nursing workflow as would the more rapid-acting insulin products.
The hospital began stocking insulin glargine in automated dispensing machines throughout the hospital; the drug was no longer given to patients in individual vials. To facilitate adoption by nursing and streamline the workflow, a special program and printer were procured to produce barcoded labels to attach to the vials being drawn from the automated dispensing machines. The nurse, upon drawing up the insulin glargine dose, could remove a barcoded label and adhere it to the syringe, enabling barcode scanning at the bedside. This also allowed the nurse to enter the number of units administered to the patient into the electronic medical record.
In the nine months prior to the insulin waste reduction project’s start in October 2017, on average 320 vials of insulin glargine were purchased by the hospital per month. In October 2017, the first month of the project, that number was reduced to 124 vials purchased per month. The number steadily declined as more areas of the hospital were added and nurses became accustomed to the new process. In 2018, the monthly average number of purchased vials decreased to 106 vials per month. This represents an estimated $18,000 monthly savings, or $216,000 annually, and approximately 2,500 fewer vials of insulin annually in the waste stream.
Going forward, the success Stony Brook experienced with changing its distribution system for insulin glargine could be used for other multiple-dose medications as well.