Healthy Hospitals for Healthy Healing Dr. Sukhmani Mann Visiting Faculty, University Institute of Applied Management Sciences, Chandigarh

Nascent stage in India.

The seven elements of the initiative : – Food at the hospital – Water use at the hospital – Waste at the the hospital – Alternate Energy at the hospital – Green Building Design at the hospital – Energy Efficiency at the hospital – Transportation in and around the hospital

NEW ESTABLISHMENT Choice of site: Environmental friendly. Sustainable & Efficient building design. Proficient use of Energy/Water. Evaluation. Air Quality. Waste management. Using Green Materials. Keeping Green.

EXISTING ESTABLISHMENT System thinking and conviction. Green Team. Carpools/ bikeways. Sky lighting, use of solar energy, insulation and up gradation to Non-HCFC refrigeration/ air-con system. Onsite water management. Reusing discarded linen for shoe covers etc. Enhanced HIS for paperless running. Encouraging & rewarding Green Thinking and implementation.

Advantages Tangible benefits. – Sustainable building materials – Products free of mercury, latex, PVC, and DEHP – Energy and water conservation – Tools and resources for environmentally preferable purchasing – Greener cleaners – Integrated pest management – Waste Reduction and Recycling – Green Electronics – Environmentally Preferable Medical Waste Treatment and Disposal – Safer alternatives to PBDEs: products in health care settings – Nutritious, Sustainable Foods and Food Systems – Shorter hospital patient stays. Intangible benefits – Holistic healing. – Teamwork and productivity enhancement for the staff.

Pitfalls Expensive concept to execute. No overnight results. Requires both Top-down and Bottom-up integration for success.

Conclusion Must do. Can’t wish it away. Long-term benefits- immense. Focus on Green hospitals is important because – disease has an indispensible association with environment. – Hospitals are large generators of environmental hazardous waste.

References Northumberland Health Care Corporation, Elizabeth J. Vosburgh, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management, July 2001