Dr. Peter Gott offers sound medical answers to reader questions in the new Lifestyles section...
The region's hospitals are known for the quality care they provide their communities, but they have also taken measures to promote healthy environments as well.
The North Country's smallest facility, Elizabethtown Community Hospital, has developed a healthy-environment initiative that is second to none in its efforts to promote green activities throughout the facility.
"This hospital is located in one of the most beautiful and unspoiled areas of the nation," said Matt Nolan, director of facilities for Elizabethtown. "Our administration believes that part of being a good neighbor means ensuring that the hospital is doing its part to help keep our local environment healthy."
Efforts to maintain a green facility do not need to be complex, however. Elizabethtown developed several energy-saving techniques and equipment in preparation of a major renovation and expansion project in 2008.
The hospital installed motion detectors in offices that shut off lights after no movement has been detected for 15 minutes. When someone enters the room, the lights automatically turn on.
"A hospital is unique in that it operates 24/7," said Jane Hooper, director of public relations for Elizabethtown.
"There are places throughout the building that don't need constant lighting, such as offices or clinic rooms. Even the lab and radiology can use less lighting at night."
The hospital also uses mercury-free lighting throughout the facility, she added.
NONTOXIC CLEANERS
Elizabethtown installed energy-efficient, double-pane windows throughout the hospital's 8,600 cubic-foot expansion, including large windows in patient rooms and the new lobby to rely more on sunlight and less on artificial light.
Energy-efficient windows and doors will continue to be added as old ones are replaced, Hooper noted.
A new heating system was installed prior to the expansion, saving the hospital $26,000 per year in energy efficiency.
A new roof even adds to the green theme. The covering is made of black rubber, and higher surface temperatures on the roof aid in faster snow and ice melt during the winter months.
The parking-lot drainage system features a special filtering system that removes automotive chemicals such as gas and oil before they reach area surface or groundwater supplies.
Facility staff use nontoxic cleaners throughout the hospital, a move that has proven more costly for Elizabethtown financially (the products are double the cost of those used in the past) but is more healthy for patients, staff and the environment.
"Obviously, disinfecting the hospital is a necessity," Hooper said. "Ensuring that our staff use cleaners that don't produce noxious fumes is something that we choose to do to protect the health of our patients, staff, community and local environment."
Improved technology, including electronic records and an all-digital radiology department, also promote a healthier environment for all involved.
"The hospital's top priority is the health and safety of its patients, staff and community," said Elizabethtown Administrator Rod Boula. "ECH has no intention of doing anything that harms the environment and, in fact, strives to minimize its impact."
SMALLER COOLERS
Adirondack Medical Center has also initiated several environmentally friendly initiatives.
Officials recently purchased a snow sweeper, a machine with a large cylindrical brush, to clear light snow from hospital walkways, thus reducing the need to use salt, said Joe Riccio, director of public relations.
Also, as old floor tiles wear out, they are replaced with a rubber-based product, he added. The rubber tiles are more of a green item, he said, adding that they are manufactured using a environmentally friendly process.
AMC workers also use chemical-free floor strippers to reduce odors for both patient and staff convenience, Riccio noted.
CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh has recently completed a multimillion dollar upgrade to its surgical unit, and environmentally friendly improvements to its heating and cooling systems were part of the process.
"We've done a number of things over the past two years that have greatly impacted our energy consumption," said Chris Booth, associate vice president of facilities. "We've made some pretty significant system upgrades."
A lot of the hospital's heating and cooling equipment was more than 40 years old, dating back to the initial expansion completed in 1972.
With the opportunity to connect upgrades to the surgical-wing project, large chillers used to cool water for the facility's cooling system were replaced by smaller, more efficient coolers, Booth noted.
RECYCLED EXHAUST
Also, a third boiler was added to the heating system, and state-of-the-art controlling devices were installed that allow the huge boilers to ramp up slowly and steadily instead of with the on-off switches that take much more energy.
"Temperatures increase gradually, which is going to be more efficient than starting from zero and moving rapidly up to the proper temperature," Booth explained.
The hospital also used huge storage tanks to hold hot water for its heating system. Now, much smaller "on-demand" hot water tanks are in place, reducing the need to store massive amounts of hot water.
The new devices are not much different in size from a residential hot-water heater, but the facility continues to have as much hot water as needed, Booth noted.
The upgrades, now more than a year in use, have already shown dividends as a recent energy audit identified no areas where the hospital could improve on its energy consumption.
Recycling is always an environmentally friendly step all businesses can take. CVPH, which Booth admits could use more space to expand on its general recycling capabilities, does recycle exhaust gases leaving the facility's chimneys.
"We reclaim that heat and use it to augment our domestic hot-water heat," Booth said. "There are certain times of the year when we can heat water entirely from this reclaimed exhaust."
E-mail Jeff Meyers at: jmeyers@pressrepublican.com
No Limits for Disabled Hunters at Mich. Base
Victim Identified in Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Radioactive Bluefin Tuna Crossed the Pacific
90 Guns Seized, Dozens Arrested in Oakland
Raw Video: Hail Storm Batters Oklahoma City
6-Year-Old Going to National Spelling Bee
California's Foie Gras Ban About to Begin
Video Essay: Funky Winkerbean Comic Turns 40
Hurricane Andrew Remembered, 20 Years Later
Judge's Ruling Halts Tenn. Mosque Construction
Romney in Las Vegas on Texas Primary Day
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing
Even Fla. Police Shocked by Face-Mauling Attack
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
