Greener Purchasing Leads to Sustainable Hospitals

by Bill Gregory

The Deaconess Gateway Hospital in Warrick County, Indiana, features Milliken’s Soul carpet. Healthcare and hospital facility administrators are learning that developing and running a green facility does not cost more than traditional healthcare buildings. In fact, conservation of energy and water alone may save a typical hospital between $100,000 and $200,000 annually in operating expenses. This type of green benefit—whether realized as a cost or resource saving—is spurring the rise of sustainable buildings. Sustainable management and greener purchasing are becoming critical aspects for hospitals and clinics wanting to present the best face to the community on patient care. For FMs at healthcare facilities, managing green buildings includes meeting the needs of varied users 24/7—patients, physicians, staff, visitors and community. Protocols leading to safe and healing surroundings are gaining traction.

Recently, the Green Guide for Health Care and longtime collaborator Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) joined forces with Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange, a program aimed at reducing both energy costs and a facility’s carbon footprint, to create a new nonprofit member-based organization, Practice Greenhealth.

Last year, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC) signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to work together on the development of tools, educational programs and other activities to support green health care building. USGBC will administer LEED® Green Building Rating System for Healthcare certification process and GGHC will continue to act as a change agent and to develop the next generation of GGHC tools.

LEED for Healthcare was developed to meet the unique needs of the healthcare market including inpatient care facilities, licensed outpatient care facilities and licensed long-term care facilities. LEED for Healthcare may also be used for medical offices, assisted living facilities and medical education and research centers. The rating system addresses such issues as increased sensitivity to chemicals and pollutants, traveling distances from parking facilities, and access to natural spaces. It was developed based on LEED for New Construction Version 2.2 and the Green Guide for Health Care.

The first medical facility in Florida to receive LEED® Silver certification, Parrish Healthcare Center in Port St. John was designed to blend with its surroundings, offering a healing atmosphere for patients while preserving the environment for native wildlife.

Purchasing is yielding

In the past, purchasing procedures were cited as a challenge to the greening of healthcare. However, suppliers and contractors within your buying group or network are often reservoirs of experience with helpful insights and a desire to serve their customers. In addition, increased awareness over the use of PVC, mercury and other chemicals of concern found in medical materials, are leading to new solutions and regulations.

A growing number of local governments have adopted policies to reduce or eliminate PVC. Some regulations address end-of-life actions, banning PVC from landfill—providing encouragement to revise healthcare purchasing guidelines.

When talking with suppliers, some questions to consider include:

• Does it contain chemistries that may adversely affect Indoor Air Quality or the safety of those in the building?
• What warranties are provided?
• What is the anticipated down time for installation?
• If LEED points are an issue, have we made a thorough comparison?
• Do performance standards meet healthcare requirements?
• Green products come from green companies. Is the manufacturer a sustainable organization?
• What are the end-of-life options with this product?

Green products enter the market at a rapid pace. Compare with care. At present, The Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard (SCAS) NSF-140 2007 represents the first industry-wide green guidelines for a product category. Clarity in labeling will allow easier and time-saving comparisons. There are a number of high performance flooring options, including carpet tiles with adhesive-free installation, that improve indoor air quality by eliminating off-gassing and VOCs. 

Supporting green initiatives goes beyond building design and materials. A sustainable facility that respects its fulltime and temporary occupants as well as the Earth, has the potential for better staff recruitment and retention, greater control over the spread of infection, better patient outcomes, and improved stature within the community. Small, successes like an energy audit or move to a greener cleaning protocol may break down obstacles to greater innovations. Our health is too important for a greenwash.

Bill Gregory, Director of Sustainable Strategies for the Floor Covering Division of Milliken & Company, serves on the board of the Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments and the IFMA Environment Health and Safety Council, among others. Bill.Gregory@Milliken.com