Washington Hospital Services Industry Partner Stericycle is experiencing a marked increase in hospital requests for information on reporting and processing waste generated from the care of patients diagnosed with Ebola. Ebola is classified as “Category A” infectious material by the U.S. Department of Transportation. When managing Ebola waste in 2014, the industry learned that one patient will generate eight-to-ten 55-gallon drums of waste per day. Stericycle’s nationwide network of team members, facilities, and partners is preparing to rapidly respond with supplies should a positive Ebola test occur at your hospital.
If your facility has a suspected or confirmed Ebola case, immediately contact your local and state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please reference the CDC Guidelines to: Identify, Isolate and Inform as well as Personal Protective Equipment Guidelines. You may also reference the CDC’s Preparing U.S. Hospitals for Ebola document to view the levels of acute facility care for Ebola assessment and treatment. Next, contact Stericycle Customer Experience at 866-338-5120.
Stericycle will help you by:
- Sharing the list of required Ebola waste supplies noted in Stericycle’s Ebola Waste Management Requirements & Packaging Procedures document.
- Supporting you with rapid ordering and shipping of Stericycle Ebola Waste Management kits, providing waste supplies capable of supporting ~24 hours of patient care.
- Providing an Ebola Waste Label kit should a positive Ebola diagnosis occur.
As you prepare your staff and facilities should a positive Ebola case occur, the following resources can be downloaded or requested to support your training and/or communication needs.
Ebola waste management requirements and packaging procedures
This includes details on essential waste containers, labels and packaging processes. Based on the number of suspected cases and/or confirmed cases, their Customer Experience team can recommend and drop-ship the Ebola waste management supplies best suited for managing waste properly. Go to Ebola Waste Preparedness | Stericycle to fill in the form to the right of the main screen to download this asset.
Ebola waste procedures alert label
This includes print-ready resources that can be affixed to waste containers while awaiting patient diagnosis, per hospital policy. They recommend you label waste per Ebola waste requirements only after a patient’s diagnosis is confirmed. Management of regulated waste stemming from Ebola patient care is more costly for the hospital and requires a unique handling method for Stericycle and our partners.
Download this resource here.
Stericycle is a Washington Hospital Services Industry Partner. The Industry Partner program connects hospitals with product and service organizations to create efficiencies, lower costs and deliver exceptional health care. For more information about Stericycle or the WHS Industry Partner Program, contact Cynthia Hay at cynthiah@wsha.org or call (206) 216-2526. (Cynthia Hay)
