Building Green Hospitals:

Healthy Alternatives for Interior Flooring & Finishes

Presented by: Healthy Building Network, Oregon Center for Environmental Health, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Health Care Without Harm

 

September 24, 2007 in Portland, OR                             

September 25, 2007 in Seattle, WA

 

Goal:  Participants learned how hospitals, health systems, and architecture firms are working together to reduce the use of toxic materials in hospitals, promoting green building and healthier environments.

 

Issue: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) can create or are themselves hazardous substances commonly found in the materials that coat the floors, walls, and ceilings of health care facilities. These materials have a multitude of impacts on the healing environment of the patient, the working environment of the doctor, nurse, and other staff, and the health of the surrounding communities and the environment. They also create a toxic burden through their manufacture, disposal, and maintenance.

 

Presentations as PDF’s

Healthy Building: Interior Flooring and Finishes,

Julie Silas, Healthy Building Network

 

Health and Environmental Effects of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Heavy Metals, Dioxin, Phthalates & Halogenated Flame Retardants (HFRs),

Richard Grady, MD, Interim Chief, Pediatric Urology, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle; Associated Professor, Urology, University of WA

 

What Hospitals Can Do: Alternatives for Interior Flooring & Finishes   

Julie Silas, Healthy Building Network

 

Building Green Hospitals: Healthy Alternatives for Interior Flooring and Finishes    

Jean Hansen, IIDA, LEED AP, CID, AAHID, Sustainable Interiors Manager, HDR Architecture

 

Panel:  Interior Flooring & Finishes Experiences in Regional Hospitals

Using Partnerships to Further Sustainability Goals      

Kim A. Weller, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, National Facilities Services, Kaiser Foundation  Health Plan, Inc.

Green Flooring Decisions

Tom Badrick, Legacy Health Systems

Designg Healing Environments

Johanna Brickman, Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca Architects, LLP