The use of sustainable materials in health care construction and interiors is linked to a number of benefits and, increasingly, the overall mission of health care. According to a June 2016 article in Health Facilities Management, “Health care organizations can gain a number of returns by investing in sustainable interiors. Green interior design enables facilities to be responsible stewards of environmental health and safety as well as the financial health of an institution; it also correlates the mission of a facility with its materials.”

Commonly used products such as paints, building materials, and cleaning supplies with harmful chemicals can have detrimental impacts on the health of building occupants, such as triggering headaches and asthmatic reactions. Opting for less toxic products in health care institutions means reduced exposures to chemicals that are linked to such health problems, especially since improvements to buildings and cleaning protocols are often carried out while occupied by patients and employees. Research institutions have found that indoor air quality can also affect the overall experience of a building’s occupants by impacting cognitive function and work performance. Thus, the choice of materials can play a significant role in health outcomes.

In addition to the health benefits, safer products are increasingly leading to lower costs as well. While sustainable and recycled materials have been considered too expensive in the past, as more institutions opt to move in that direction and the market grows, more products are available at lower or cost-neutral prices. Kyle Tafuri, senior sustainability adviser at Hackensack University Medical Center, noted that they realized a 30 percent savings when opting for flame retardant-free furnishings for their campus-wide lobby renovations.

Since the health care industry purchases $300 billion worth of goods and services annually, there is significant potential for continued growth in the area of green and healthy building materials and interiors. Initiatives like Healthier Hospitals and the recently launched Greenhealth Exchange are looking to consolidate this purchasing power and continue to shift the market, one sustainable purchase at a time.

[Source: Health Facilities Management]