Ideas That Work: Save No-Slip Socks for the Homeless

Many patients at Einstein Endoscopy Center in Blue Bell, Pa., leave behind the no-slip socks they’re provided. “The socks are used only for a couple of hours, and we used to throw them away, but, at the suggestion of a patient, we began collecting them for donation,” says Einstein’s Adrienne Bellino-Ailinger, BSN, JD, RN, HNB-BC, CPHQ. The center launders the gently used socks before delivering them to Philly Unknown, a nonprofit organization that serves homeless populations, for distribution to the people they serve. To date, 1,000 pairs of socks that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill have been donated. Einstein’s innovative partnership with Philly Unknown is an example of how healthcare facilities can lead by example to improve people’s wellness by understanding the link between the environment and health. Many surgery centers already recycle or reuse items such as blue wrap, blood pressure cuffs and oximetry probes, and additional opportunities exist for facilities to mitigate health care’s impact on the planet. OSM