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Green healthcare facilities

Systems like Innova Health, Dignity Health and John Hopkins are even working to combat plastic pollution by eliminating plastic straws and switching to paper straws in their cafeteria facilities

By Andy Romjue / Special to Healthcare Facilities Today
April 1, 2020

According to the American Hospital Association, there are 951,045 staffed hospital beds in the country, totaling about 5.9 million tons of garbage annually. Hospitals and healthcare facilities have begun to understand their impact on the environment and use sustainability not only as a way to save the planet, but as a way to improve healthcare, lower operating costs and adhere to a patient’s needs and wants. In fact, sustainability is so important to healthcare that 35 percent of hospitals switched suppliers due to additional eco-friendly and sustainable aspects and 58 percent of buyers shared it was extremely important for their healthcare products and supplies to be green.

Hospitals are starting to place greater emphasis on greener products for use. Notable systems like Innova Health, Dignity Health and John Hopkins are even working to combat plastic pollution by eliminating plastic straws and switching to paper straws in their cafeteria facilities. While there have been improvements, there is still plenty of room for the industry to grow. Below are a few ways hospitals and healthcare facilities can go green in 2020.

Continue to educate employees

Educating employees on ways to reduce waste during their everyday work and practice is the first step. If a whole staff is involved in creating a sustainable environment through recycling, reusing and working with eco-friendly products, the changes can have a surprising impact. The adjustment can start at any level, but leaders and executives of departments and facilities should enable their teams to go green.  For example, switching to electronic document systems for patients can reduce paper waste, save money and time. Additionally, executives can enforce recycling materials, turning off lights and creating a sustainable waste management strategy for waste, chemicals and water.

Create a greenspace

Greenspaces have gained interest in recent years as hospitals and healthcare facilities are using these areas to help their patients heal. Greenspaces can serve multiple purposes, including benefiting patients and promoting sustainability through the creation of gardens, parks, and outdoor areas. Believe it or not, the spaces climate change. The soil absorbs carbon from the air, helping reduce carbon emissions. These benefits make greenspaces and outdoor areas perfect for the health, wellness and sustainability of hospitals and healthcare facilities.