"When it comes to hospital construction and design, the decisions around what is built and how it’s built all have significant impact on not only an organization’s bottom line, but also the quality of care given to patients." -- Kelsey Brimmer, Assoc. Editor, Healthcare Finance News
Barry Rabner, president and CEO of Princeton HealthCare System, has witnessed some substantial payback with the investment and design planning for the University Medical Center of Princeton. A 50% reduction in carbon emissions and 25% reduction in energy costs was achieved in one year since opening. Sustainable features included solar panels and an energy storage system for water, while an operational element was "designed so nurses [could] access all materials right in the room instead of hunting and gathering and wasting time” (Rabner).
On the west coast, Kaiser Permanente's VP of facilities planning and design, John Kouletsis, strongly believes in their commitment to sustainability. From both an environmental and business perspective he justifies any new facility investment and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification process based on the belief that "the degradation of the environment causes problems to human health." With little to no cost increase Kaiser has been able to successfully achieve Silver and Gold LEED status despite extra costs that were initially up-fronted. In short, savvy sustainable planning can result in huge returns!
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