Consorta Education Network

This presentation will introduce participants to the Green Guide for Health Care and LEED, voluntary standards that health care facilities can use to improve the environmental performance and bottom line of their buildings and operations. Participants will learn how these standards are complementary, how they apply to the participant's institution, and what assistance is available to help them implement these strategies. A Consorta member facility will explain how they have used these standards to build numerous clinics and a hospital addition which meet LEED standards, save money and enhance environmental compliance and excellence through ‘green’ operations.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this program, participants should be able to:

1. Understand the evidence that sustainable building techniques can enhance healing and patient and staff comfort.

2. Explain the purpose and nature of LEED and GGHC green building rating systems.
3. Gain practical understanding of what steps are required for green building efforts, and which disciplines in a facility or system should be involved in designing and executing green building projects.

Presenters

Lara Sutherland

Lara Sutherland is the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Researcher and Writer for Health Care Without Harm, where she helps large health care purchasing groups implement their environmental values through their purchasing and contracting activities. She has helped numerous private and public organizations find, purchase, evaluate, and use environmentally preferable products through her work at the Purchasing for Pollution Prevention project at INFORM and the Massachusetts State Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program. Her prior experience also includes acting as co-chair of the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing workgroup for Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E), editing the short-lived Healthcare Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Information Exchange Bulletin, and providing direct pollution prevention assistance to various medical facilities. Previously, she worked as a biomedical research assistant at Harvard University Medical School and as an analytical chemist at the Massachusetts Pesticide Analysis Laboratory. She earned her bachelors degree in biochemistry from Amherst College.

Gary Kusnierz, MSEM

Gary Kusnierz, MSEM has over 20 years of healthcare and engineering experience. He is the Corporate Director of Development and Construction for Affinity Health System in Appleton, WI. Gary graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stout and the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Masters in Engineering Management. Gary is the architect of a three pronged design approach implemented at Affinity Health System: Evidence Based Design – a rigorous research based process that enhances the patient experience by creating space that reduces stress, enhances social support and creates a healing environment that offers patients, visitors, and staff a pleasant and relaxing experience; Sustainable Design – consistent with the Affinity Health System mission and values, sustainability is an integral part of design and construction with emphasis on LEED certification through the USGBC; and Lean Design – lean principles are being applied to improve the design of new and existing facilities – this improvement initiative allows a constant pursuit of process perfection that maximizes operational efficiencies. Gary also holds Lean Lead and Lean Masters Certificates and is dedicated to the study, development, and implementation of Lean Principles in Healthcare.