Healthy buildings, healthy patients

Evidence that green healthcare facilities benefit patient health and free up funds for further healthcare investment will be presented at the Green Cities 2010 conference in Melbourne this month.

Public and private healthcare facility providers are expected to join international and Australian property and environment experts for Green Cities 2010 at the Melbourne Convention Centre from February 21-24. Green Cities 2010 is a joint initiative of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and the Property Council of Australia (PCA).

International expert Gail Vittori will highlight the success of green healthcare facilities in the United States in delivering both improved patient outcomes and business benefits for both government and private sector investors in hospital developments.

Immediate Past Chair of the US Green Building Council's Board of Directors, Ms Vittori has been involved in several US initiatives to green the healthcare sector, including the development of the first LEED-Platinum certified hospital in the world, Dell Children's Medical Centrein Texas, and is the Co-Coordinator of the US Green Guide for Health Care. She also is co-author of Sustainable Healthcare Architecture, published in 2008 by Wiley.

"There is an increasing body of evidence that green healthcare facilities benefit patient health in terms of reduced patient length of stay, improved post-surgical recovery times and reduced medications and stress for patients," Ms Vittori said.

"But the business case for green healthcare is also strong. Green healthcare facilities attract patients and the best medical professionals, have higher than average staff retention, lower utility bills, and reduced operations and maintenance costs.

"With 9.1 percent of Australia's GDP spent on healthcare, there is tremendous purchasing power to spur innovation towards these forward thinking technologies, materials and methods."

Ms Vittori said Green Cities 2010 is a great chance for healthcare facility providers to share best practices and challenges with the green healthcare global learning community to accelerate innovation and scale implementation.

More detail, including a full program for the conference, is available at www.greencities.org.au.

Media contacts: Julie Sheather 0409 514 643 or Kate McQuestin 0419 591 150