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Nice to see a major workplace and wellness place become environmentally
-and patient-friendly. Yes, we are evolving, sometimes before calamity
strikes. kwc “With 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week operations, the medical
industry is the second-largest user of energy in the US and one of the largest
generators of waste.” Michigan Business Eco-friendly care for
patients, Earth U-M, Henry Ford
join trend of constructing innovative hospitals Katie Merx, Detroit
Free Press, March 6, 2006 The University of Michigan Medical Center and Henry Ford Health System will go green at
their newly planned hospitals, but that has nothing to do with the paint on the
walls. As part of a trend that is quickly gaining ground in the health care
industry, the hospitals are being designed to be environmentally friendly. "As a major
health care provider in this area, we thought it was our responsibility,"
said William Mazzara, a registered architect and director of facility design
and construction of systems at Henry Ford Health System. More than just
planting a few trees or using less paper, they're seeking Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the Washington-based U.S.
Green Building Council, a coalition of builders, architects, government
agencies and nonprofit groups. To be certified,
buildings have to earn innovation points for such actions as using nontoxic,
fumeless paints and adhesives, and installing insulating and water-retentive
rooftop gardens; large expanses of glass for natural light; waterless urinals;
energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, and using a major portion of
recycled and recyclable materials. The idea is to minimize environmental impact
inside and outside of buildings. More than 2,100 new
U.S. construction projects have won LEED certification since 2000. But so far,
only two hospitals -- the Lacks Cancer Center
at St. Mary's Health Care in Grand
Rapids and Boulder Community Hospital,
Foothills Hospital in Boulder, Colo. -- have earned the certification. Another 80 hospitals
and health care facilities -- including U-M's C.S.
Mott Children's Hospital, scheduled to open in 2011 in Ann Arbor,
and Henry Ford's new hospital, scheduled to open in 2008 in West Bloomfield --
are seeking certification. Why so few? For one
thing, the certification is for new construction and hospitals typically have
long lives. Meeting the standards
also costs more and requires extensive documentation. Henry Ford estimates
that meeting the energy-efficient and environmental guidelines added between
3.5% and 4% -- about $12 million -- to the budget for the $310-million hospital
it's building in West Bloomfield. Pat Warner, U-M
director of children's and women's services, estimates that building a new
children's hospital to LEED-certification standards has added $15 million --
about 3% -- to its $523-million budget. Spend
now, save later The architectural firm designing the
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, also seeking LEED certification, told the
Pittsburgh Business Times that energy cost savings reaped from green design
could reach 30%. "There also
have been studies done that showed people recover faster and are discharged
earlier in green buildings," said Taryn Holowka, communications manager at
the Green Building Council. "We made the
decision" to go green "not because we are confident we will get the
money out," Warner said. "We are very much committed to building the
most efficient and effective institution we can be. ..."Our hope is that
the projections people are making by building according to these criteria come
true." "What better
motivation will you have than to build a healthy and environmentally friendly
hospital for children?" asked Kai Abelkis, environmental coordinator for
Boulder Community Hospital, the first U.S. hospital to earn certification. "Health care leaders make a
commitment to 'First do no harm,' " Abelkis said. But with 24-hour-a-day,
seven-day-a-week operations, the medical industry is the second-largest user of
energy in the United States and one of the largest generators of waste, he said.
"We are beginning to recognize direct links between how we affect
the environment -- inside and outside our four walls -- and health,"
Abelkis said. "By creating
waste and energy-reduction programs, offering organic and locally grown foods,
healing gardens and more, hospitals are investing in the long-term wellness of
not just their patients and staff, but the community as a whole," said
Mindy Pennybacker, editor of the Green Guide. Patient's
point of view As a patient at the Lacks Cancer Center,
Anna Finkbeiner said she's benefited from some of the environmentally friendly
programs. Her favorites are the food-on-demand program and the rooftop garden. "You can order right off a menu,
anything you want from steak to eggs," Finkbeiner said. "I don't have
to eat when I'm not hungry. If I just want a chocolate malt at 4 in the
afternoon, I can order that." Typically, hospitals
serve patients their meals at 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. Selections are limited
and food may go to waste, since patients often have little control over the
selection or when the food comes. Finkbeiner, who has
intestinal cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, often doesn't know in advance
when she'll be able to tolerate food, so food-on-demand is a godsend. "It's very patient friendly, but
we also got LEED points for that because only the food that will be eaten is
cooked. There is much less waste," said Micki Benz, vice president of the
Lacks Cancer Center. Finkbeiner says she
likes the rooftop garden because it's beautiful. Her son moved his wedding to
the garden in August when she needed surgery just days before the scheduled
ceremony. Up on
the roof top "A green roof provides insulation
for both heating and cooling and helps reduce runoff into the wetlands and
woodlands on the site," said Henry Ford's Mazzara. "I guess we're
going back to the old sod roofs." Henry Ford's plans in
West Bloomfield include a green roof, encompassing the wetlands and woodlands
surrounding the hospital in its design, reducing wastewater runoff, minimizing
energy consumption, using natural light where possible, and using recyclable
and other materials that result in less construction waste. U-M expects to
incorporate similar features, Warner said. But because the U-M Board of Regents
approved the revised budget and plans for a new C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
on Feb. 17, the U-M Medical System is still determining its detailed plans for
making the hospital green, she said. Certification Factors To receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification,
a building must satisfy a number of prerequisites and then obtain innovation
credits within categories designed to promote: §
Sustainable site development and outdoor environmental
quality §
Water efficiency §
Energy efficiency and atmospheric protection §
Use of local, recycled and recyclable materials and
resources §
Indoor environmental quality Certified Hospitals Lacks Cancer Center
at St. Mary's Health Care, Grand Rapids: Received LEED certification in
January. · Built a
rooftop garden that helps insulate the building and reduces wastewater runoff. · Installed
snow-melt system. Hot water left over from the steam heating system is used to
melt snow at the center's walkways. The system eliminates the need to shovel or
use salt, reducing dirt and flooring replacement costs within the hospital. · Instituted
food-on-demand plan. Patients order what they want when they want it instead of
receiving meals at 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. The food is prepared when it's
ordered and served on china to reduce waste. · Installed
self-cleaning windows. Boulder Community
Hospital, Foothills Hospital, Boulder, Colo. Received LEED certification in
2003. · Painted the
roof white to reflect summer heat and reduce air conditioning demand. · Used
drought-tolerant plantings to conserve water. · Equipped
parking lot with charging stations for electric cars. · Designed
outdoor lighting to reduce light pollution in night sky. The Green Guide’s Top 10 The Green Guide, a magazine promoting and aiding green living, this
week named its first-ever list of the nation's Top 10 green hospitals. The
magazine chose hospitals that it said have set a green standard by such actions
as eliminating PVC products, building with recycled materials and drastically
reducing energy costs and use. The winners §
Bronson Methodist Hospital (Kalamazoo) §
Boulder Community Hospital (Boulder, Colo.) §
Kaiser Permanente (corporate headquarters in Oakland,
Calif.) §
Laguna Honda Replacement Hospital and Rehabilitation Center
(San Francisco) §
Legacy Health System Salmon Creek Hospital (Vancouver,
Wash.) §
Mt. Sinai Medical Center's Lauder Center for Maternity Care
(New York) §
The Patrick H. Dollard Discovery Health Center (Harris,
N.Y.) §
Providence Newberg Hospital (Newberg, Ore.) §
Sarkis Gabrellian Women's and Children's Pavilion at
Hackensack University Medical Center (Hackensack, N.J.) §
Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute (Atlanta) Honorable mentions For waste reduction, recycling and re-use: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Lebanon, N.H.) Sparrow Health System (Lansing) University of Michigan Hospital and Health Centers (Ann Arbor) For green building: Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh) Concord Hospital (Concord, N.H.) Mercy Suburban Hospital (Norristown, Pa.) For fresh, local and organic
hospital food: Allen Memorial Hospital (Waterloo, Iowa) Duke University Medical Center (Durham, N.C.) Fletcher Allen Medical Center (Burlington, Vt.) To select its top 10, the Green Guide identified a field of 1,300
hospitals that are pursuing environmental certifications and awards. The guide
narrowed its list to 76 and then cross-checked their performance on criteria
including energy and air pollution, indoor environmental quality, healthy
hospital food, green cleaning, waste reduction and healing gardens. More
information on the Top 10 Green Hospitals will be available this week at www.thegreenguide.com http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060306/BUSINESS06/603060337/1120/RSS |
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