How High Reliability Can Facilitate Clinical, Organizational, and Public Health Responses to Global Ecological Health Risks.

High reliability organizations operate in complex, high-hazard domains for extended periods without serious accidents or catastrophic failures. High reliability can be described as a condition of persistent mindfulness within an organization, coupled with a relentless, assiduous prioritization of adverse event prevention. This article describes ethically and clinically relevant features of high reliability that health care organizations can draw on to anticipate, identify, and respond to global ecological health threats.

How Health Care Organizations Can Be Stewardship Leaders.

Mismanagement of hospital waste can release harmful, deleterious contaminants into soil, water, and air. Irresponsible or noncompliant handling of health care waste can have far-reaching environmental and public relations consequences. This article describes legal, safe, sustainable health care waste stream management as a challenge to health care leaders that can be met by implementing good stewardship practices.

Roles of Environmental Services Workers' Wages and Status in Patient Safety.

Environmental services is a mission-critical function of any health care organization, contributing in key ways to patients' health, well-being, and overall care experiences. This article offers context from a risk management standpoint on the importance of recognizing, valuing, and protecting environmental services professionals' contributions to health care organizations' capacity to be fulfilling, safe places to be a patient and to care for patients.