Nebraska Medical Orchestra highlighted in national newsletter
The Nebraska Medical Orchestra, director Matthew Brooks, DMA, and two UNMC student members were featured in the inaugural issue of the National Association of Medical Orchestra’ newsletter.
The Nebraska Medical Orchestra is a volunteer orchestra open to all health care-related musicians in Nebraska, including students, staff and faculty from UNMC, Nebraska Medicine and Children’s Hospital. It was founded in 2018 as a partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha School of Music and UNMC/Nebraska Medicine.
Dr. Simonsen discusses reducing medical waste in new paper
Kari Simonsen, MD, chair of the UNMC Department of Pediatrics, is one of the authors of a paper that was featured Tuesday in a panel discussion led by “Health Affairs,” a leading peer-reviewed journal.
Dr. Simonsen spoke about how a circular supply chain in the medical device industry will help protect the environment, as outlined in a “Health Affairs” article she co-authored, titled “Transforming the Medical Device Industry: Road Map to a Circular Economy.”
As the article explains, the one-time use of many medical products has resulted in increased health care expenditures and significant related waste and pollution, with associated public health damage. Barriers to a circular supply loop for the medical supply sector include perceptions regarding infection prevention behaviors of health care institutions, providers and manufacturers, and regulatory structures that encourage disposable medical devices.
One proposed action to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, Dr. Simonsen and her co-authors write, is for the sector to change its procurement policies.
“Large health systems can leverage their purchasing power to reduce waste and limit greenhouse gas emissions,” Dr. Simonsen said. “Additionally, as physicians and scientists, we can continue to research and refine our capabilities for safe cleaning and reprocessing of medical devices to reduce reliance on single-use items.”