Beyond First Cost: Validating Operational Benefits of Sustainable Healthcare Facilities

 

you’re invited!

We invite your hospital and staff to participate in a new study, "Beyond First Cost: Validating Operational Benefits of Sustainable Healthcare Facilities"

This study updates the earlier 2013 study, “Demystifying First-Cost Green Building Premiums in Health Care” that your hospital participated in, and will focus on quantitative and qualitative metrics based on more than a decade of operational performance. See details below.

Please let us know of your interest by email to participate in the study by July 31st 2024 along with peer hospitals across the United States. We’re available to answer any questions.

Breeze Glazer  breeze@leapstep.com

Gail Vittori gvittori@cmpbs.org

Learn More // 2013 Study

Study: Extra costs minimal for LEED-certified hospitals | U.S. Green Building Council

What's it worth? | HFM | Health Facilities Management

Demystifying First-Cost Green Building Premiums in Healthcare - Adele Houghton, Gail Vittori, Robin Guenther, 2009

What This Study Is About

The purpose of this study is to better understand the outcomes and benefits of green hospitals to answer the question: do the monetary investments in sustainable healthcare facilities yield the intended operational, environmental and human-centered benefits? 

The study will revisit hospital projects from the earlier 2013 study, “Demystifying First-Cost Green Building Premiums in Health Care” and a select group of projects completed after that study from which data is available. The study will focus on key sustainability performance metrics related to both building and operational performance including energy consumption, carbon emissions and water use, staff recruitment and retention. The goal is to validate assumptions that sustainable healthcare facilities’ deliver operational, environmental and human-centered benefits.

Reflecting the scope and methodology used in this evaluation, it is understood to be exempt from IRB review.



What We Will Ask You To Do

The collection of data and feedback from participating hospitals is scheduled for September 1 - November 1, 2024. 

The study methodology includes the analysis of quantitative data, for example Staff Retention Rates and Annual Energy Consumption, in addition to qualitative feedback and insights provided via surveys and follow up interviews. 

We will provide the tools, forms and resources needed for hospitals to provide data and metrics.

Building Performance

  • Energy Consumption

  • Carbon Emissions

  • Water Consumption

  • Waste Generation

Operational Performance

  • Employee Engagement // Staff Satisfaction

  • Staff Absenteeism

  • Staff Retention // Employee turnover rate

  • Staff Recruitment

  • Patient Satisfaction

WHo we are

This study is being led by Gail Vittori at the non-profit  Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems , and Breeze Glazer at  LeapStep , both of whom participated in the 2013 study. It is funded by donations from the American Institute of Architects Academy of Architecture for Health (AIA-AAH) in addition to several design firms. 

ADVISORY GROUP

The study will be guided by an Advisory Group that includes Savannah Glazer, Nurse Practitioner in addition to members of the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH), Sustainability Committee.

Privacy/Confidentiality/Data Security

We will protect all participating hospitals and staff's privacy and confidentiality; all analysis will be aggregated; identifying information from individual hospitals will be kept separate from research data and the two will not be connected.