Sustainability's healing touch: incremental steps for healthcare

Healthcare interiors choices have great potential to directly impact patient outcomes, both for the good and bad, and this is particularly true when it comes to sustainability steps, according to an article on the Facilitiesnet.com website. However, in the interiors selection process, sustainability must get in line behind other, more pressing issues healthcare has to address, such as an aging workforce and strapped budgets.

Sustainability considerations are more complex than those around energy efficiency, and pursuing sustainable interiors will only go a little ways towards a LEED certification. Not surprisingly, healthcare has lagged behind other sectors in adopting sustainable interiors practices, the article said.

Key leaders are still pursuing sustainable interiors. Organizations like Ascension Health have created staffed positions to address sustainability directly. Even if a healthcare facility is still in its early stages of working out a sustainable interiors strategy, the good news is that incremental steps are the way to go, according to industry experts, the article said.

Read the article.