Courtesy : managedhealthcareexecutive.com
Green healthcare facilities
Reducing water and electricity use can produce immediate savings for hospitals while recycling efforts pay off in the longrun
From Recycling and waste management programs to nontoxic paint and permeable pavement, hospitals across the country are implementing green initiatives to produce healthier environments for patients and staff, which they say saves not only energy, but money.
Among several provider facilities going green is Stony Brook University Hospital, in Stony Book, N.Y., which recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agreement outlines energy and water conservation, waste management and the use of environmentally friendly products, and the hospital is currently auditing areas to reduce energy consumption.
“A hospital is unique in that it’s a structure that operates 24/7,” says Andrew Bellina, EPA program coordinator, “So, there are opportunities for powering down in many areas of the hospital that do not impact the people that are working or the care of the patients.”
In addition, the hospital is taking on a number of initiatives designed to reuse materials and reduce material waste. For example, staff has eliminated the blue, disposable wrapping used for sanitary operating tools, says Bellina. Tools now arrive in reusable containers.
However, he notes, the hospital has to evaluate recycling from a practical standpoint while also maintaining strict accreditation standards. Even so, recycling at the hospital increased by about 420 tons in 2007 and 2008, and it is expected to be higher this year.
“It significantly affects your carbon footprint when you recycle waste instead of just throwing it out, because you don’t go through the actual mining, the treatment, the procurement, the manufacturing and the transportation,” he says. “You’re cutting all that out.”
Water conservation is another important aspect of the agreement struck with the EPA. Bellina notes water supply costs recently increased 20% in New York City. He predicts water shortages in as many as 36 states in the next three to five years.
The hospital is looking to conserve water in two ways. First, captured storm water can be reused for non-contact functions, such as watering lawns and landscaping. Second, he says, it will be important to reduce demand for water. The hospital is monitoring water use with equipment that limits water flow and reduces total use.
Going green will definitely show a return on investment in the long run, and in most cases, produce immediate savings, Bellina says.
“Five years ago it [going green] would have cost you money, and the payback would be seven, 10 or 12 years, but now there are immediate cost savings. For example, recycling is an immediate cost saver,” he says, “And you reap the economic benefits through the lifetime of the structure after that.”
Determining effects on the quality of care is not as easy, he says, but he postulates that once the hospital’s energy audits are complete and the air handling is upgraded to a more efficient mix of outdoor and indoor air, the quality of air will improve within the hospital. Better air means better health, especially for those who need respiratory care.
EAST CAROLINA HEART INSTITUTE
The structure has only been open for a year, but was built with energy efficiency in mind, according to Brian Floyd, executive director of the Heart Institute. It also contains recycled materials in the carpet as well as in bathroom, kitchen and ceiling tile.
Natural lighting is one feature that overlaps in the green movement and healthy hospital movement. An effort was made to light the Institute with large windows in patient rooms, physician work areas, waiting rooms, lobbies and cafes.
“Many studies show that people recover faster when they have access to sunlight, and we want to make people as comfortable as possible and acclimate them to the day and night cycles so they can heal faster,” Floyd says.
It also requires less energy to light the facility during the day. With the help of sensors, artificial lighting turns on only when someone is in the room and dims when natural light levels are adequate.
The utility plant powering the Institute operates on energy efficient air conditioning chillers, high-efficiency electric motors and variable-speed pumping and air flow systems, according to Floyd.
The monthly electricity expenses at the Heart Institute have averaged 30 cents per square foot, or $142,000 per month, since opening in January 2009, according to James Ryals, Media Specialist for the Heart Institute and Pitt County Memorial Hospital. To compare, over the same period, monthly electricity expenses in the main hospital have averaged 45 cents per square foot, or $533,000 per month. The main hospital was built in 1977, and is twice as big as the Heart Institute, says Ryals.
“The per-square-foot figures are a better basis for comparison than the monthly totals,” he says. “It’s safe to say that, with the efficiency measures we’ve taken, our power expenses at the Heart Institute are roughly 33% lower than the main hospital.”
Certain intangible cost savings, such as worker productivity, are harder to define, says Floyd, but he has noticed that retention of staff is higher and length of patient stays are shorter.
How To Remedy the Healthcare Hiring Crisis
November 18, 2022
Thad Price
Job candidates need to be shown that the workplace is flexible and set up to accommodate their individual needs.
If the pandemic showed us one thing, it’s that essential. workers. matter.
But as healthcare workers quit in droves, qualified candidates are slipping through the cracks.
With the current U.S. unemployment rate at 3.7%, the reality is we’re not short of people. We’re short of staff. So, where are they and how can we meet the needs of today’s healthcare professionals?
Discover your candidates’ wants and remedy the staffing crisis with these pro tips.
Encourage workers to show up for themselves
For years, workers have been led to disregard self-care for work. Physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals are a prime example of this as they are pressed to assume the responsibility for patients over themselves. They’re trained to prioritize others, no matter the cost — and that they don’t have the luxury of saying “no.” This can have a damaging effect not only with burnout, but the trajectory of their career.
Tammie Chang, M.D., in her article, “My Burnout Nearly Cost Me Everything. Now I Help Other Physicians Overcome It,” which was posted on the Harvard Business Review website, shares that healthcare providers “must show up for [them]selves before [they] can do right by others. Setting healthy boundaries around your time and energy is what will allow you to deliver the best care to your patients.” According to Chang, establishing these boundaries means guarding five key areas in your life: your emotional, physical, social, professional, and societal self.
Show applicants that your workplace is set-up for individuality, where their “yes” means “yes” and “no” means “no.” Because no job is worth sacrificing their well-being.
Don’t let candidates slip through the cracks
Plenty of traditional job platforms promise to plaster your jobs across the Web for a fixed price. Which sounds great; you know exactly how much you’ll be paying. But do you know what you’re paying for and where it’s going?
Let’s say there are two billboards off the highway. Option 1 has worked well in the past, is nicely priced and relatively low risk. But recent on-going construction has obstructed the view.
Option 2 hasn’t been used but is highly visible in a high traffic area. Which would you choose?
Option 1 may have worked well in the past, but it’s not the prime real estate it once was – making the investment fall flat. The real ROI lies with option 2, the board that is converting now. Ultimately, if your job posts aren’t following sites, they’re wedged between the same construction, debris and lack of visibility.
The moral of the story? Positioning is key to job advertising. And knowing where to market may be what sets your organization apart from the competition.
Compare traditional versus programmatic advertising and decide which is the best fit for you. After all, you want results, not holes in your wallet.
Traditional job advertising allows you to have a fixed budget while using old job data to inform decisions as to where to post your jobs. The only downside is traditional doesn’t track how your job posts are performing on each site nor do they target job seekers. So, when your budget is declining, your job bids become scarce and can become lost in the sea of the internet.
Programmatic job advertising takes a profile-driven data approach. It monitors candidate behavior to match the right job seeker to your job listing. It then tracks which sites are gaining the right traffic, turning bids up on the sites that are working and turning them down on the sites that are not. While your budget may not be fixed, it still delivers even higher caliber candidates due to artificially intelligent targeting.
