All Hospitals Are Green, But Some Are More Green Than Others
Thursday, July 31st, 2008
Other than a possible seismic issue here and there, and maybe some other obvious exceptions (we’ll just let that surgeon wash those hands and arms with the water running for a full 300 seconds, just in case), healthcare facilities around the nation are jumping on, and occasionally off, the green bandwagon. Green is clean, and nobody likes a dirty hospital. Indeed, it is the fantasy of every soon-to-be hospital patient that he or she is greeted at the door by Florence Nightengale and then whisked away to a private, state-of-the-art patient room complete with satellite television and high speed internet.
Being a green hospital, however, is not so easy, and many of the suggested green practices may actually compromise patient care. Green cleaning products, mercury, lighting and basic hospital equipment are just four of many examples currently waiting at that crossroads where “green” public policy and generally accepted healthcare practices collide. (more…)
