NEWS  RELEASE   FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  
February  15,  2011   Contact:   Mary  Lisi  
      Practice  Greenhealth  
      888-­‐379-­‐6664  

T E L   8 8 8 . 6 8 8 . 3 3 3 2   •   F A X   8 6 6 . 3 7 9 . 8 7 0 5   •   W W W . P R A C T I C E G R E E N H E A L T H . O R G  
      mlisi@practicegreenhealth.org  
 

1 2 3 5 5   S U N R I S E   V A L L E Y   D R I V E ,   S U I T E   6 8 0   •   R E S T O N ,   V A   2 0 1 9 1   U S A  
 
HDR  will  sponsor  national  effort  to  green  operating  rooms  
 
(Reston,  Virginia)  HDR  Architecture,  Inc.,  a  leading  international  architecture,  engineering,  
interior  design  and  planning  firm,  has  joined  the  group  of  corporate  sponsors  of  Practice  
Greenhealth’s  Greening  the  Operating  RoomTM    Initiative.  Launched  in  2010,  this  sweeping  and  
prescriptive  path  to  green  the  nation’s  operating  rooms,  and  to  reduce  the  environmental  
footprint  of  the  operating  suites  in  hospitals  across  the  country,  which  can  produce  between  20  
and  30  percent  of  a  hospital’s  total  waste.  
 
Operating  rooms  are  some  of  the  most  resource-­‐intensive  and  waste-­‐generating  areas  of  a  
hospital.  A  recent  study  estimated  supply  costs  of  operating  rooms  could  eat  up  as  much  as  56  
percent  of  total  operating  room  budgets,  dwarfing  salary  costs  which  run  about  35  percent  of  
total  operating  room  budgets.  In  addition  to  producing  between  20  to  30  percent  of  a  hospital’s  
total  waste  volume,  much  of  the  waste  disposed  from  operating  rooms  is  thrown  out  as  
regulated  medical  waste,  which  costs  between  10  and  15  times  more  in  disposal  fees  than  
regular  waste.  Much  of  this  waste  could  be  disposed  outside  of  the  regulated  medical  waste  
stream.  In  addition,  most  operating  room  supplies  are  thrown  out  after  just  one  use,  even  
though  re-­‐use  may  be  an  option.    
 
“As  the  healthcare  sector  continues  to  explore  the  benefits  of  environmental  sustainability  in  a  
healthcare  environment,  it  makes  sense  to  focus  on  those  departments  with  the  highest  costs  
and  largest  volumes  of  waste,”  said  Anna  Gilmore  Hall,  Executive  Director  of  Practice  
Greenhealth.  “HDR  has  dramatically  underscored  its  corporate  commitment  to  sustainability  in  
healthcare  with  this  sponsorship.  In  so  doing,  HDR  will  support  and  participate  in  the  
collaborative  efforts  of  forward-­‐thinking  hospitals,  manufacturers  and  related  stakeholders,  
under  the  auspices  of  Practice  Greenhealth,  to  develop  guidance  documents  to  help  reduce  the  
environmental  impact  of  the  nation’s  operating  rooms.  Greening  the  OR™  will  also  help  
hospitals  reduce  costs,  increase  quality  and  improve  worker  and  patient  safety.”  
 
“Helping  develop  solid  evidence-­‐based  design  strategies  for  healthcare  environments  is  a  top  
priority  for  HDR,”  noted  Michaella  Wittmann,  Director  of  Sustainable  Design  Solutions  for  HDR.  
“The  Greening  the  OR™  initiative  is  especially  important  to  us  because  it  closely  corresponds  to  
other  efforts  we  are  making  to  elevate  sustainable  design  strategies  in  the  healthcare  field.  The  
healthcare  industry  is  committed  to  doing  no  harm,  and  yet  possesses  many  issues  related  to  
the  design  and  operation  of  its  facilities  that  are  contradictory  to  this  principle  tenet.  We  strive  
to  support  those  efforts  that  will  help  healthcare  facilities  transform  their  environments  into  
models  of  environmental  stewardship.”  
  
About  HDR,  Inc.:    
For  more  than  50  years,  HDR  Architecture  has  delivered  award-­‐winning  integrated  healthcare  
planning  and  design  for  some  of  the  world’s  foremost  medical  centers  and  health  systems.  Its  
global  healthcare  practice  uses  evidence-­‐based  design  methodologies  to  fully  integrate  clinical,  
operational  and  facility  planning  to  support  an  organization's  strategic  objectives  in  design.  HDR  
has  been  consistently  ranked  the  No.  1  Healthcare  Design  firm  because  its  clients  rely  on  it  for  
the  advanced  planning,  programming  and  design  expertise  needed  to  deliver  21st  century  
healthcare.  For  more  information,  visit:    www.hdrinc.com  
 
About  Practice  Greenhealth:  
Practice  Greenhealth  is  the  nation’s  leading  membership  and  networking  organization  for  
institutions  in  healthcare  that  have  made  a  commitment  to  sustainable,  eco-­‐friendly  practices.  
To  learn  more  about  Practice  Greenhealth’s  Greening  the  OR  initiative  visit:    
www.greeningtheor.org  
 
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