Sustainable Healthcare

Sustainable Healthcare sets out a vision for medical care of high quality, manageable cost and low impact on the planetary systems which sustain us. In tackling the major challenges of our age, such as resource depletion, loss of biodiversity and climate change, health services can play a central role, moving from being part of the problem to becoming part of the solution. Sustainable Healthcare explores questions such as: What is the relevance of sustainability in healthcare? How does climate change threaten human health? How can we create low carbon care pathways? How can healthcare organizations deal better with their waste? How can death and dying become more sustainable? How can we engage ourselves and others with this agenda? Written by an international team combining clinical, educational, practical and policy expertise in sustainability and health, this book provides a synopsis of our current predicaments, and explores some of the emerging solutions. Containing case studies and resources for further information and action, Sustainable Healthcare is a practical guide to making healthcare more sustainable for all healthcare professionals, managers and students. “Once in a while one comes across a book that makes a deep impact. Sustainable Healthcare is such a book and very timely in the context of modern healthcare and developing green policies... The book is clear in ideas of critical thinking, scientific evidence and practical suggestions for transformative action... An additional strength in this book are the summary key papers and reports including key points from the chapters. In addition, there is a comprehensive list of references in each chapter... The authors cut through the jargon and challenge the rhetoric of both fear and denial... The authors give examples of how we can engage with sustainability such as, diet and exercise, prescription management, contraception management and family planning and end of life care... The book provides useful sources, references and key actions for individuals, healthcare organisations and policy making departments.” - A review by Prof Davinder Sandhu, Postgraduate Dean, Health Education South West, Severn Deanery, UK

Design, restorative building, biophilia, enhanced air quality and high performance building systems. Written by leading national experts on the subject -- one of whom was recognized by Time magazine as a green innovator -- Sustainable Healthcare Architecture is the key guide to designing sustainable healthcare facilities. Building on the authors? combined knowledge and experience, this book includes case studies of more than 50 of the best contemporary sustainable healthcare projects. The book also contains numerous essays contributed by other leaders in sustainable design and healthcare. Additionally, the authors provide background information on LEED for Healthcare, as well as on the Green Guide for Health Care, which they were instrumental in developing.

"With this book, Robin Guenther and Gail Vittori show us howcritical our green building mission is to the future of humanhealth and secures a lasting legacy that will continue to challengeand focus the green building movement, the healthcare industry, andthe world for years to come." —From the Foreword by Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO andFounding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council INDISPENSABLE REFERENCE FOR THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLEHEALTHCARE DESIGN Written by a leading healthcare architect named one of FastCompany's 100 most creative people in business and asustainability expert recognized by Time magazine as a GreenInnovator, Sustainable Healthcare Architecture, SecondEdition is fully updated to incorporate the latest sustainabledesign approaches and information as applied to hospitals and otherhealthcare facilities. It is the essential guide for architects,interior designers, engineers, healthcare professionals, andadministrators who want to create healthy environments forhealing. Special features of this edition include: 55 new project case studies, including comparisons of keysustainability indicators for general and specialty hospitals,sub-acute and ambulatory care facilities, and mixed-usebuildings New and updated guest contributor essays spanning a range ofhealth-focused sustainable design topics Evolving research on the value proposition for sustainablehealthcare buildings Profiles of five leading healthcare systems and their uniquesustainability journeys, including the UK National Health Service,Kaiser Permanente, Partners HealthCare, Providence Health &Services, and Gundersen Health System Focus on the intersection of healthcare, resilience, and ahealth promotion imperative in the face of extreme weatherevents Comparison of healthcare facility-focused green building ratingsystems from around the world Sustainable Healthcare Architecture, Second Edition is anindispensable resource for anyone interested in the design,construction, and operation of state-of-the-art sustainablehealthcare facilities.

"Sustainability is not unique to health, but is a unique vehicle for promoting healthy values. This book focuses readers on upstream decision-making in the healthcare delivery setting to think through the implications of our decisions from fiscal, societal and environmental perspectives. It aims to link health values with sustainability drivers in order to enlighten leadership about the value of sustainability as we move toward a new paradigm of health. Carrie R. Rich, J. Knox Singleton, and Seema Wadhwa explore leadership priorities, linking them to sustainability, through an imaginary health leader, Fred, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Memorial Hospital, a community hospital based in the United States. Each chapter frames a leadership priority through a storyline that involves the main character. Practical applications featuring evidence-based sustainability accomplishments and the coordinating reflections of renowned healthcare leaders are woven throughout the book. Every chapter includes leadership tools, illustrations and tables with tips and data to make an evidence-based case in support of health sustainability. The book includes a healthcare sustainability syllabus as well as suggested reading and teaching resources. Bringing together the key components and concepts of environmentally sustainable healthcare operations, this book will be of great importance to researchers, students and professionals working in health and healthcare management."--Provided by publisher.

Green Healthcare Institutions : Health, Environment, and Economics, Workshop Summary is based on the ninth workshop in a series of workshops sponsored by the Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine since the roundtable began meeting in 1998. When choosing workshops and activities, the roundtable looks for areas of mutual concern and also areas that need further research to develop a strong environmental science background. This workshop focused on the environmental and health impacts related to the design, construction, and operations of healthcare facilities, which are part of one of the largest service industries in the United States. Healthcare institutions are major employers with a considerable role in the community, and it is important to analyze this significant industry. The environment of healthcare facilities is unique; it has multiple stakeholders on both sides, as the givers and the receivers of care. In order to provide optimal care, more research is needed to determine the impacts of the built environment on human health. The scientific evidence for embarking on a green building agenda is not complete, and at present, scientists have limited information. Green Healthcare Institutions : Health, Environment, and Economics, Workshop Summary captures the discussions and presentations by the speakers and participants; they identified the areas in which additional research is needed, the processes by which change can occur, and the gaps in knowledge.

A comprehensive resource to sustainability and its application to the environmental, industrial, agricultural and food security sectors Sustainability fills a gap in the literature in order to provide an important guide to the fundamental knowledge and practical applications of sustainability in a wide variety of areas. The authors – noted experts who represent a number of sustainability fields – bring together in one comprehensive volume the broad range of topics including basic concepts, impact assessment, environmental and the socio-economic aspects of sustainability. In addition, the book covers applications of sustainability in environmental, industrial, agricultural and food security, as well as carbon cycle and infrastructural aspects. Sustainability addresses the challenges the global community is facing due to population growth, depletion of non-renewable resources of energy, environmental degradation, poverty, excessive generation of wastes and more. Throughout the book the authors discuss the economics, ecological, social, technological and systems perspectives of sustainability. This important resource: • Explores the fundamentals as well as the key concepts of sustainability; • Covers basic concepts, impact assessment, environmental and socio-economic aspects, applications of sustainability in environmental, industrial, agricultural and food security, carbon cycle and infrastructural aspects; • Argues the essentiality of sustainability in ensuring the propitious future of earth systems; and • Authored by experts from a range of various fields related to sustainability. Written for researchers and scientists, students and academics, Sustainability: Fundamentals and Applications is a comprehensive book that covers the basic knowledge of the topic combined with practical applications.

This important book outlines how, despite varying levels of global socio-economic development, governments around the world can guarantee their citizens’ fundamental right to basic healthcare. Grounded in the philosophical position that healthcare is an essential element to human dignity, the book moves beyond this theoretical principle to offer policy-makers a basis for health policies based on public accountability and social responsiveness. Also emphasizing the importance of global co-operation, particularly in the area of health promotion and communication, it addresses, too, the issue of financial sustainability, suggesting robust mechanisms of economic and social regulation. New opportunities created by e-health, evidence-based data and artificial intelligence are all highlighted and discussed, as is the issue of patient rights. Students and researchers across bioethics, public health and medical sociology will find this book fascinating reading, as will policy-makers in the field.

"With this book, Robin Guenther and Gail Vittori show us how critical our green building mission is to the future of human health and secures a lasting legacy that will continue to challenge and focus the green building movement, the healthcare industry, and the world for years to come." —From the Foreword by Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council INDISPENSABLE REFERENCE FOR THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE HEALTHCARE DESIGN Written by a leading healthcare architect named one of Fast Company's 100 most creative people in business and a sustainability expert recognized by Time magazine as a Green Innovator, Sustainable Healthcare Architecture, Second Edition is fully updated to incorporate the latest sustainable design approaches and information as applied to hospitals and other healthcare facilities. It is the essential guide for architects, interior designers, engineers, healthcare professionals, and administrators who want to create healthy environments for healing. Special features of this edition include: 55 new project case studies, including comparisons of key sustainability indicators for general and specialty hospitals, sub-acute and ambulatory care facilities, and mixed-use buildings New and updated guest contributor essays spanning a range of health-focused sustainable design topics Evolving research on the value proposition for sustainable healthcare buildings Profiles of five leading healthcare systems and their unique sustainability journeys, including the UK National Health Service, Kaiser Permanente, Partners HealthCare, Providence Health & Services, and Gundersen Health System Focus on the intersection of healthcare, resilience, and a health promotion imperative in the face of extreme weather events Comparison of healthcare facility-focused green building rating systems from around the world Sustainable Healthcare Architecture, Second Edition is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the design, construction, and operation of state-of-the-art sustainable healthcare facilities.