From Guest Blogger Devin Morrissey: An Argument for Sustainable Healthcare Practices

Common discourse about reducing society’s impact on the environment usually centers what we can do in our own lives to change the world for the better. While choosing eco-friendly transportation and getting your community involved in recycling can yield some great benefits for the environment, one topic only occasionally surfaces in most discussions: the impact of the healthcare industry.

Around 8 percent of all air pollution generated is created by this sector. This contribution is responsible for very real consequences, including greenhouse gas emissions, acid rain, smog, and the further depletion of the ozone layer. It also generates over 13 million pounds of waste every day — at least 2 million of which is hazardous.

This problem will only get worse as time goes on, as more baby boomers require late-in-life medical care. It can be easy to justify this environmental damage as a necessary cost for adequate medical care, but the truth is that pollution can be drastically reduced by the implementation of eco-friendly policies by healthcare administrators.

Sustainable Practices Protect the Environment

There are a number of measures that can contribute to reduced environmental damage. The single most impactful change that hospitals can make is choosing to embrace renewable energy. In fact, the EPA states that nearly a third of the entire sector’s energy usage could be eliminated by making the switch to more efficient energy sources.

A big part of avoiding overspending in the healthcare industry is streamlining resource management. Due to expensive processing costs — and the potential legal costs of failing to do so properly — hospitals are incentivized to limit and properly separate hazardous waste from non-hazardous waste. Furthermore, there are initiatives that support the reuse and recycling of medical equipment.

Finally, when building or renovating medical facilities, administrators should keep in mind green building practices. By incorporating plenty of natural light, buildings can operate throughout the day with less lighting. In addition, the use of nontoxic building materials will result in less damage to the environment — and to patients to boot!

They Also Reduce the Cost of Medical Care

These measures can result in a drastic reduction in operating costs. While there are some complications, such as training faculty members to properly follow new protocols, they are a great way to secure long-term savings for any institution in the industry.

Of course, if these arguments fall on deaf ears, administrators are likely to be swayed by the financial advantages of going green. And, if they aren’t, consumers are likely to voice their opinions, considering how wasteful practices increase hospital operating costs — an expense doubtlessly recouped through increased fees for service.

Ideally, a portion of these savings could be passed on to consumers, who are currently spending far too much on care, resulting in more affordable service. In fact, more manageable costs for the consumer can result in more business for medical institutions, since consumers will be more likely to seek treatment when they know they will accrue less debt. From a financial perspective, reducing, reusing, and recycling is the smart choice for both healthcare administrators and patients.

There is clearly a connection between earning enough income and living a healthy life. However, with sustainable healthcare practices, we can improve our health through a cleaner environment, as well as our wallets through cheaper operating and medical costs. There is no excuse to continue the wasteful habits of the past; we need to embrace sustainable healthcare practices.