Green Healthcare

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/10/12/2306254/welch-allyn-ceo-promotes-environmentally.html

When it comes to environmental protection, I immediately think of policies, treaties, Green Peace demonstrations, or Hybrid cars – but with healthcare I would have never made an association when it come to being “green.” However, the following article proves my mental connections between environmental protection and aspects of human life wrong; it showed me that potential for change lies in different aspects and parts of modernity and thus gives me hope that a shift away from destruction to appreciation, and thus conservation, in terms of the relationship between the human world and nature is possible.

On Tuesday, October 12, the Kansas City Star reported in the article “Welch Allyn CEO Promotes Environmentally Conscious, Higher Performance Healthcare at Tijuana Innovadora 2010” that Welch Allyn President and CEO Julie Shimer advocated in her keynote speech at the two-week conference, featuring important corporations from around the world, for an environmentally conscious healthcare. She argued that the healthcare industry has the duty to provide practitioners and patients with the necessary tools and technology that would not end up harming the earth.

She explained that healthcare is one of the most wasteful, most energy-consuming, and most resource-demanding industries and thus, in light of environmental change, needs fundamental changes. Nevertheless, Shimer pointed out that “today, many healthcare facilities are focusing on sustainable methods to better serve patients that, in turn, will reduce costs and lessen the impact on the environment. This puts us (…) in a unique position to make a clear commitment to health and wellbeing of the planet along with the people who live on it;” or in other words a “high-performance healing environment.”

Shimer then went on by highlighting some of the environmental steps Welch Allyn has recently taken. Its headquarter renovations and expansions project features green systems and can expect the achievement of an LEED silver certification as the very first Central New York manufacturer. It eradicated mercury-containing medical devices and replaced them with affordable and more environmentally-friendly versions. Also, it is conducting research on alterative methods of power delivery as well as recyclable component options for its products. Lastly, it has adopted a “life cycle” perspective when evaluating the impact of its products, so that all steps, from material extraction, to manufacturing, to transportation, to disposal, are included and the full scope can be determined.

The article concludes with an analysis of Welch Allyn’s presence in Mexico, which explains its strong presence at the conference n Tijuana. It opened a manufacturing plant, maquiladora, in 2006 to produce blood pressure cuff products, thermistor-based devices and thermometer prove covers. As an employer of 500 people, Welch Allyn was voted “Best Places to Work in Mexico” and received recognition for its excellent business practices from local commissions in both 2009 and 2010.

The article demonstrates that in a world of capitalism, in which healthcare can be considered a mayor player, the production of more is not always the only goal. While Welch Allyn still wants to be on the winning side of the world market competition, Julie Shimer demonstrates that not all means are justified to get there. Her focus, which reflects the company’s position, of taking into account the environment while producing the goods for the healthcare industry shows that an ideological change is occurring, away from a solely human focal point to a more inclusive one, which acknowledges the environmental as integral part of life.

But why would such a view be adopted in health care without being a more general tendency of society? I believe that Paul Wapner, in his article “People, Nature, and Ethics” provided the explanation for this phenomenon. He states “I am pessimistic about extending moral status to other living things and systems without first witnessing an upgrade in the way people treat each other. Unless humans learn how to practice ethical considerations toward other humans, transferring this consideration to the nonhuman world will be merely rhetorical” (356).

Healthcare, in its essence, aims at providing the tools and technology to heal people and thus improve or save their lives. Thus, an ethical consideration toward other human beings is the origin for this industry, and its inclusion in the “Best Places to Work and Mexico” combined with excellent business practices provides evidence for it. Therefore, I would argue, using Wapner’s thesis, because this human ethic already prevailed in healthcare, the step to extending it to the environment is easier for this particular industry that, let’s say, the weapons and munitions industry.

However, the efforts Welch Allyn has taken and continues to do so still deserve recognition and celebration, especially because the healthcare sector is not commonly cited as positive example in the “green” movement. At least, I personally, have never considered the healthcare industry to be particularly conscious about its impact on the environment. However, this article has proven me wrong and given me hope that change is actually possible; and I believe articles likes this one, demonstrating the successful efforts taken by an individual player in our modern world can motivate others to do so, as they see that adopting to green principle doesn’t mean business bankruptcy but instead, successful results can still be achieved and that others are also investing time and money in making their contribution to change and if joined by others, the impact thereof will be even greater.