Suburban Hospitals Make Green Strides

Some suburban hospitals have been making great strides in greening their facilities, reports The Business Ledger.In Wheaton, Illinois, Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital reduced emissions of volatile organic compounds by over 22,000 pounds over a nine-month period as a result of using low VOC cleaning products, according to Mike Hedderman, CFO.  In 2005, Marianjoy was recognized by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) when it received the Making Medicine Mercury Free Award in 2005.

Also a member of H2E is Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village.  In a recent program at that facility, executives concentrated on design features at the new central plant and Bed and Tower and Medical Mall that will reduce the hospital’s energy use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.  One of those features was the installation of premium efficiency motors on the cooling tower fans and all pumps.  The new motors use less electricity than standard or high efficiency motors, according to Ken Waltz, director of facilities.

Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois, is moving toward energy efficiency by replacing older fluorescent lighting with more efficient ones and setting back night temperatures in unoccupied rooms from 74 to 69 degrees.  According to Bruce Enders, chief engineer at Edward, the hospital is also looking into more energy efficient roofing by going to an all-white material that reflects heat better than old black roofs with gravel and tar pitch.

Last year, Premier, a major healthcare alliance, signed group contracts to integrate greener computers and electronic devices in hospitals.  And according to this article, the green movement will change the way health care buildings are designed and constructed.