Providence Holy Cross Medical Center expects to save energy, water and money with the opening of its new south wing, which officials hope will become Southern California’s first silver LEED certified hospital building. The $180-million new wing is expected to open in May once all the hospital’s inspections and licensing are completed. Hospital officials hope the 132,000-square-foot facility will be approved for silver LEED certification by the end of the year. The new green operations are expected to result in financial savings for the hospital, though officials do not yet know by how much. Larry Bowe, Providence Holy Cross’ CEO who joined the hospital after the project got started, said it is not just about financial savings. “I think it’s the right thing to do for society to have a sustainable building to use the least amount of resources possible,” Bowe said. “This is just part of our mission and our core values of stewardship. … (And) it saves money on utilities because you have the lights that go on and off automatically.” Before Bowe joined Providence Holy Cross, he helped lead a building project at a Providence hospital in Oregon that was gold LEED certified, which he said benefited both employees and patients. California hospital building regulators say LEED certification is still somewhat of a novelty for hospital buildings in the state. “It’s not really a huge California program right now because it is voluntary,” said David Byrnes, spokesman for California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development “The way the economy and times are, it’s great that people are doing the LEED thing. … It’s a great marketing tool for hospitals, and it’s going to save them money on energy costs in the long run.” Eco-friendly factors The wing’s green design help the environment in many ways, including by diverting waste, using green materials, using more efficient landscaping and encouraging the use of reusable water bottles. “During the construction, we diverted approximately 50 percent to almost 75 percent of the construction waste,” said Patty Mayberry, project director for Providence Holy Cross. The project also included the use of adhesives and sealants that meet South Coast Air Quality Management District standards. There was also the use of recycled linoleum and some furniture made from recycled materials. The new building has a storm water runoff design that allows officials to keep runoff at appropriate levels and even to reconstitute the water as needed. In the area of landscaping, the lawn in front of the wing is using a plant that looks like grass that falls over after it grows, require less upkeep and 50 percent less water from sprinklers. Additional bicycle racks are also being added to the campus. Waste and water Employees and hospital visitors will also get the chance to take an active role in Providence Holy Cross’ green efforts. The hospital is implementing its composting initiative in its recently renovated cafeteria, which is right next to the south wing. The program requires its patrons to put their waste in specific containers for composting. There will also be a switch from hard plastic utensils, which are non-compostable, to silverware that can be washed and reused. The new program is expected to divert about 2 tons of recycled organic waste each month from the solid waste stream, Mayberry said. The south wing will also feature water bottle fill stations at its drinking water fountains, which allow for bottles and reusable drinking containers to be more easily filled. The hospital’s cafeteria will also stop selling plastic water bottles to help encourage the use of reusable drinking containers. “If we can limit just a handful of those, think about how many are not ending up a landfill,” Mayberry said. She added that if just 17 percent of the hospital’s 1,800 employees use reusable water bottles instead of two water plastic water bottles per day, that would save nearly 600 bottles daily from the waste stream. “And that’s not even the visitors,” Mayberry said. Green team The new composting program and water bottle fill stations will be overseen by Providence Holy Cross’ Green Team, which has won national awards in the past for its recycling initiatives. In the past, the Green Team was responsible for efforts such as eliminating Styrofoam use at the hospital, recycling aluminum cans and implementing a paper shredding initiative. The new hospital wing includes a 12-bed neonatal intensive care unit, a women’s pavilion, a gastroenterology lab, additional operating rooms and a chapel. The additional 138 beds bring the hospital up to 377 beds total. The hospital started construction of the building, which is located at the front of the hospital campus, in 2008 in response to increased patient care demand from past hospital closures in the area. The new wing brings about 370 new jobs, including 11 new nursing positions. The building’s opening coincides with the hospital’s 50-year anniversary.
New Holy Cross Facility First Silver LEED Certified Hospital
