More hospitals are going "green"

Some believe the move toward environmentally friendly construction could extend to physician offices and other health facilities, because it might save more than the Earth.

By Katherine Vogt, AMNews staff. June 20, 2005.

Waterless urinals. State-of-the-art ventilation systems. Recycled flooring. These are just a few things that hospitals and other health care entities are using as they adopt "green" building principles to construct facilities in an environmentally friendly way.

Proponents say that such construction and design tactics not only are the right thing to do for the Earth, but might also lead to cost savings through operating efficiencies and may help improve the care of patients by creating higher-quality facilities with cleaner air, better water and more.

Though the up-front costs can be more expensive than traditional building techniques, and therefore may scare away crowds in a financially pinched industry like health care, many observers still expect to see a surge in new projects as more leaders learn about it.

Indeed, the U.S. Green Building Council, which certifies that building projects have met certain green-building standards, says just two health care entities have its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification but 32 more are in the process of applying for it.

"This is huge. Everyone who is doing anything with construction right now is talking about green," said Dale Woodin, deputy executive director for the American Society for Healthcare Engineering, a division of the American Hospital Assn.

Green building is not a new idea, and it has been established for some time in other industries. But observers say it has only recently started to penetrate the health care sector. Woodin said it is catching on at a time when there is unprecedented growth in hospital construction projects.