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South Florida Hospital Group Commits to Being "Green"
Author: | Wednesday March 19, 2008
A program has started at Catholic Health Services to reduce energy consumption.
It is Good Being Green
Hospital System
Helps Environment
And Saves Money
A South Florida physical network of hospital and rehabilitation health services is going “green”, committing itself to energy saving programs throughout it systems.
Catholic Health Services (CHS) announced that its initiative will begin with the construction of a new facility in Hialeah Gardens, St. Catherine's West Rehabilitation Hospital. The overall goals of the CHS plan are to reduce energy usage and greenhouse emissions, reduce water usage and minimize utility costs, according to a report in the CHS Connections Publication - Winter 2008.
The 67,300 square foot facility will be the first healthcare hospital in South Florida to implement such “green” steps, according to the report. CHS is putting in a Building Management System designed to improve staff productivity, save energy and alerts staff if a setting is getting out of approved conservation range.
“For example, the green-friendly air conditioning units are high efficiency and track and monitor for potential deficiency or failure in the system,” according to George Miraglia, CHS Director of Facilities Management, who is quoted in the report.
CHS also plans to retrofit existing facilities and campuses, impacting over 430,000 square feet. These numbers reflect the medical campuses such as CHS South Campus which houses St. Anne’s Nursing Center and Residence, Villa Maria Nursing Center, which is over 150,000 square feet and the CHS North Campus where four different services incorporate over 160,000 square feet.
According to the report, proposed initiatives for energy management are low-flow water technologies, specialized recycling equipment, lighting technology and daylight harvesting and installation of occupancy sensors. The plan includes the installation of computerized utility systems to monitor usage and efficiency.
The results of the program has another upside in that the measures will save CHS over $250,000 a year when combining electric, gas and water consumption, money that can be used for facility upgrades.
To make sure everyone is involved in the effort, employees will receive educational materials and in-service training.
Ed. Note: To learn more about Catholic Health Services, visit their web site at www.catholichealthservices.org.
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