Sustainability is a popular buzzword in medicine. But for Jamie Murray, BSN, RN, it’s more than that.
“(Sustainability) is your day-to-day,” says Jamie, unit director, Surgical Services, UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson. “It’s your family. It’s the world that we live in.”
For years, Jamie has made sustainability a focus of her work at UPMC — first locally and now systemwide.
Greener surgical protocols that Jamie implemented at UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson now take place across UPMC. And as the leader of UPMC’s Surgical Services Subcommittee, she and the team are finding new ways to make surgery environmentally friendly.
The positive impact of practicing sustainability — and the worldwide consequences of not practicing it — drives Jamie daily.
“You only get one planet,” Jamie says. “So, either we take care of it now so that we can maintain it for our kids and for the next generation, or we lose it.”
‘Not for Us, but for Them’
Jamie grew up in Mercer County, in northwestern Pennsylvania, and has always been interested in the outdoors. She came to UPMC Horizon in 2013, right out of nursing school, and joined the surgical team. She was the first new nursing graduate UPMC Horizon had hired.
“I was the baby nurse of the team for quite a while,” Jamie says.
Jamie advanced to become a clinician before taking over her role as unit director in 2020. She manages the surgical services at UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson, ensuring quality care and patient safety.
Although Jamie was always conscious of the environment, it became a bigger focus for her when she became a parent. And when she took over her role as unit director, it became a focus of her work as well.
“I have two very young kids at home, and knowing that we are leaving behind a carbon footprint that may not leave them with the best of options in the environment in days to come (worries) me,” Jamie says. “We are not doing well for the next generation. Now, it’s time to take a step forward in making sustainability a priority. Not for us, but for them.”
The health care sector is one of the biggest worldwide carbon emitters. It’s responsible for 4% to 5% of global emissions. Many health care organizations are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
Jamie saw opportunities for surgical sustainability at UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson. When she took over as unit director, the hospitals used an in-line system for delivering nitrous oxide anesthetic gas to patients. She saw that 70% of that gas was lost before getting to the patient, leading to increased costs and a negative environmental impact.
“Where does that 70% go?” she says. “It’s going to go into the air, it’s going to go into the room, it’s going to go everywhere where it’s not supposed to be. That is one of the leading causes of ozone layer depletion.”
Jamie implemented a simple solution. UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson began using individual tanks hooked directly to the anesthesia machines. It led to less wasted gas, lower costs, and a better environmental impact.
Another change came with recycling and reprocessing surgical instruments. Previously, many instruments went to biohazard waste — a significant financial and environmental cost.
UPMC Horizon and Jameson signed a contract with a third-party company that sterilizes and reprocesses surgical instruments for reuse. After procedures, surgical teams at UPMC Horizon and Jameson began placing certain surgical items into specialized bins. The third-party company collected the used instruments, reprocessed and sterilized them, and repackaged them so the hospital could reuse them.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had to approve the reprocessed items for quality and safety before they went back to the hospital.
“The items have to meet certain safety precautions and standards in order to be able to be used on another patient,” Jamie says. “Which is key because if they don’t meet those standards, I can promise you we are not going to be using them.”
The partnership with the reprocessing company paid dividends during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because of supply chain slowdowns, many hospitals nationwide faced delays in getting surgical instruments. But because UPMC Horizon and Jameson had partnered with the reprocessing company, they could still get their instruments.
“It was definitely a lifesaver,” Jamie says.
‘She Sees a Much Bigger Picture’
UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson had implemented some greener surgical practices before Jamie’s time as unit director began. But she wanted to increase those efforts.
“She sees a much bigger picture,” says Amy Mills, resource clinician, UPMC Jameson.
As a new unit director, Jamie thought she might face some pushback when implementing sustainability measures — particularly among longer-tenured staff.
“To try something new, it takes some convincing,” Jamie says. “It takes some drive to say, ‘Hey, this is an option, and we can try it. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll back out. If it does work, great — we’re that much further ahead.’”
The buy-in happened naturally as the sustainability efforts proved viable. Both cost and waste decreased.
“I definitely see an impact in the hospitals,” Amy says. “Surgery is constantly changing, and you have to change with it. And this is a definite benefit.”
Jamie says it helped to have a staff that focused on the good of the people they serve. And because UPMC Jameson and UPMC Horizon are smaller, community-oriented hospitals, the sustainability efforts took root.
“It was easier to get things started and the ball rolling, knowing that the staff here are more connected to one another,” she says. “We know each other’s family members, we know their birthdays, we know their children. We know everybody on a different level.
“We’re a family, and being able to come up with an idea and move it forward is easier in our setting.”
As time went on, Jamie’s staff began developing their own sustainability ideas and bringing them to her.
“She listens to what you have to say,” Amy says. “She is open to ideas. Sometimes, as crazy as they are, she’s able to adjust it to something that works. Her mind is always going. She never stops.”
‘You Can’t Say No to a Greener Earth’
In 2023, Jamie became connected with the UPMC-wide Surgical Sustainability Subcommittee. The subcommittee is one of many different sustainability initiatives taking place at UPMC as it attempts to reduce its carbon footprint.
“UPMC is very big in sustainability and how we can make sure that we are going to be here for years to come,” Jamie says. “The conversation piece about being sustainable and remaining in an upward motion was an easy conversation. You can’t say no to a greener earth.”
UPMC’s Surgical Sustainability Subcommittee includes employees from various positions — surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, technicians, administrators, and more. They meet once a month to discuss sustainability initiatives.
“Every month, there’s a new idea that’s brought to the table,” Jamie says. “Being able to have input from multiple areas of the hospital and multiple job descriptions gives you a wider view of what options are actually out there. So, one step at a time, we’ll make a difference.”
Some of the initiatives that Jamie began at UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson are now happening across UPMC facilities. For example, the reprocessing program has expanded UPMC-wide. UPMC facilities are also beginning to transition to tank-based anesthesia delivery.
The success that UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson had with those practices provided a signal that they could work systemwide, Jamie says. She believes sustainability will become an even bigger push in the coming years.
“The goal here is to push sustainability across the entire corporation so that it is not just a localized drive,” Jamie says. “Being more sustainable just gives us that much more longevity.”
The Surgical Sustainability Subcommittee includes about 20 people. However, the actual commitment to sustainability extends far wider than that.
Jamie says it takes buy-in from everyone — from corporate leadership on down — to make sustainability a success. And she’s seen that commitment, both locally and systemwide.
“I’m proud of UPMC as a whole — the fact that they’re taking this to the next step, making it a priority, and including all lines of work,” she says.
“One unit director isn’t going to be able to make a whole difference. It takes units. It takes hospitals. It takes every person that works here to be able to be on board and to push it forward.”