I am writing this upon my return from the 2008 International Conference and Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design and Construction™ (PDC), which was held last month in Orlando, Fla. After attending the educational sessions, I realized our theme, “The Business of Sustaining our Future,” never rang truer.
While in the past, I have been viewed as a supporter of sustainability and the “green movement,” I now see that we as health care professionals must take the lead if this momentum is to further develop and swell within our hospitals and organizations.
We are all members of the team that creates, operates and maintains the healing environment. As we move forward, we have the ability to influence the application of sustainable and energy efficient concepts and ideologies throughout the hospital. This year, the PDC conference featured the “Green Patient Room.” Developed by the architectural firm Anshen+
Allen in conjunction with the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Health Care Council and SKANSKA, the Green Patient Room is a life-sized patient room exhibiting sustainable design practices in action.
As I toured this unique patient room, I saw the benefits of going green in terms of the environment and our facilities, patients, visitors and staff. The green patient room gave me new ideas on how sustainable principles might be incorporated into my operations. I am committed to working with the team at my hospital to explore ways in which we can enhance the patient experience by changing the institutional look and feel.
As with the commercial building sector, I believe that healing facilities have many opportunities to improve the ways that they reduce the negative impact on the environment and I also realize the efforts this will require from us all. Yet, I encourage each of us to look for ways to incorporate green materials, technologies and operations into our facilities as opportunities present themselves.
Recently, I saw a commercial that featured a tree walking through a field and crossing a street. In the final scene, the tree was hugging a house that was built with energy-efficient technologies and concepts. Two men were watching the tree and the closing line of the commercial referred to the tree as a “house hugger.” I laughed but also thought about the underlying message: We hold in our hands the ability to make a difference in our facilities, our communities and the environment.
Green is no longer just about hugging trees. It is about our future. Please join me as we move forward in greening our health care environment.
I challenge each of you to work with your facilities to explore the possibilities, define the parameters, communicate the economics, understand the image and overcome the barriers to green construction and operations. If we are not committed to our future, who will be?
John R. Wood, CHFM, SASHE
Director, facilities management
Mercy Medical Center
Roseburg, Ore.
Update: Resources at special prices
To order any of the following products, log on to www.ashe.org/ashe/products/pubs/importantresources.html.
• The Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities (2006 edition). Authorities in 42 states, The Joint Commission and several federal agencies cite these guidelines as a reference code or standard when reviewing, approving and financing plans as well as when surveying, licensing, certifying or accrediting completed health care facilities. Catalog number: 055370; price: $98 for ASHE members, $140 for nonmembers.
• ASHE Fire, Electrical & Life Safety Compendium. Written by Burton Klein, this book provides readers with the means of identifying the appropriate fire, electrical and life safety requirements. Catalog number: 055561; price: $65 for ASHE members, $85 for nonmembers.
• The Introduction to Health Care Planning, Design and Construction provides administrators or trustees of acute care hospitals, long-term care or other types of health care facilities with an overview of the process. It is not intended for more experienced professionals. Catalog number: 043129; price: $35 for ASHE members and nonmembers.
This article first appeared in the April 2008 issue of HFM.
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