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Sustainability Practices Benefit Hospitals’ Bottom Lines

Health care costs in the United States are out of control, but implementing sustainability practices is one way that hospitals can help keep costs fromincreasing further.
Increased energy efficiency means lower energy costs for hospitals and clinics, just as it does for any other consumer. Hospitals that invest in reusable medical supplies wherever possible spend less money on disposables, in addition to eating up fewer resources.
When hospitals and other health care facilities commit to protecting the environment, employee engagement improves. That’s because health care workers often care deeply about the environment, and understand the intricate connections between environmental hazards, like pollution, and poor health. Employees in all industries are happier when they’re able to work for organizations that reflect their own personal values, and health care workers are no exception to that rule. Employees want to work in an environment that they feel comfortable in, that is why checking in on them with an employee survey from resources like Qualtrics, can help achieve this outcome and give employers a better understanding of what is happening within the workplace, wherever that workplace is.
Patients care about sustainability too, and as more patients are empowered to make choices about their health care, institutions that support sustainability practices are more likely to attract the business of eco-conscious patients.
The worries of nursing students are not limited to the environment, however. It is no secret that completing a nursing qualification can be an expensive process and building a credit score as a student can be a difficult process. Furthermore managing money during your student years is particularly tough. From buying books, a backpack for nursing school, and other important materials needed for their course, they also may have personal expenses. Some of these expenses get too much to bear, leading to student loans. That being said, there are credit cards for students out there that can make it somewhat easier to make ends meet. For more information, click here.
That is not to say that financial matters are in competition with sustainability concerns though. Sustainability issues are more important than ever before, especially for the health care industry, which uses vast amounts of resources in the name of sanitation and good patient outcomes. But patients do better in facilities that make sustainability practices a priority – and so do employees. Since nurses are responsible for much of patient care, they’re uniquely positioned to promote sustainability concerns in the health care industry, and help the organizations they work for make the changes demanded by dwindling resources…
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