ESCONDIDO, CA—Instituting a sustainability policy intended to make the facility more eco-friendly, Sacred Heart Medical Center announced Friday that it was switching to reusable canvas blood bags. “We have begun phasing out traditional plastic blood bags and replacing them with an alternative that is made from sustainably sourced, locally foraged plant fibers and can be used again and again,” said hospital administrator Kylie Voss, explaining that sterile, disposable blood bags were made from PVC, which takes more than 450 years to decompose, whereas canvas bags could simply be washed out with soap and water and put back into service indefinitely. “This is part of a broader initiative in which we hope to eliminate all single-use supplies, including bandages, hypodermic needles, and urinary catheters. In addition, we’ll be making an effort to conserve energy by shutting off all the medical equipment at night.” Hospital officials also confirmed that, going forward, all transplant procedures would be required to use 100% plant-based organs.
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