from LES NOUVELLES ESTHETIQUES & SPA, April 2008

Medical - Enviro Savvy Med Practice
by Brian P. Maloney, M.D.

It is our responsibility to take care of mother earth and ensure a clean, healthy environment for our children. In a plastic surgery practice there are many opportunities to go green.

Take advantage of change
Moving or renovating? Take the opportunity to incorporate green factors into your new design. While renovating our new offices, I had extra insulation added to the walls and the ceiling. The green effect is energy savings and the side benefit is that of quieter surroundings.

With the new plumbing sinks are low flow, which helps reduce water usage. Even the sinks in the examination rooms have smaller sinks and faucets. I have heard of some offices whose physicians have turned to hand sanitizers to clean their hands in between patients instead of washing with soap and water. However, the efficacy of hand sanitizer versus soap and water has recently come into question.

We use energy efficient fluorescent lighting whenever possible and we turn off any lights that are not in use. The medical devices that require charging are not left to charge indefinitely. The chargers are unplugged when not in use, as they continue to draw electricity if left plugged in. We turn off all of the computers at night as well.

Going green is not easy, though, as we all have quirks that may challenge our efforts to be environmentally friendly. For example, although I realize that purchasing remanufactured equipment is a sound, green practice, I prefer to buy new equipment. And when it comes to items with which patients come into contact, such as instruments and patient chairs, I also prefer to purchase new items.

Nineteen trees per employee?
The average employee generates one ton of garbage per year, about half of which is paper - the equivalent to about 19 trees. At the office we exercise the motto of reduce, reuse and recycle. We encourage two sided photo copying to help reduce the number of sheets of used paper. Recycling containers are located next to each wastebasket. A lot of medical practices are now keeping electronic medical records to help conserve paper.

Certain items cannot be recycled and therefore should be avoided: Styrofoam containers and cups (use reusable coffee cups instead), aluminum foil, rubber bands, tape, wax paper or plastic wrap (a better option is to use reusable food containers) and items containing food such as pizza boxes.

Air quality at risk
Numerous reports indicate that the air in enclosed buildings may be several times more contaminated by fumes than the outside air. The biggest contributors to such toxicity may be the use of cleaning agents and pesticides. Changing to activated charcoal air filters may help to improve the air quality of the office. In addition, great advances have been made in the development of more people friendly pesticides. Keep in mind that in a medical office, cleaning agents need to be strong enough to kill viruses such as hepatitis and HIV.

Brian P. Maloney, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a nationally recognized facial plastic surgeon whose clients include celebrities and sports figures from around the world. Director of The Maloney Center in Atlanta, GA, he appears on the Discovery Health Channel and is often asked to conduct research studies on improvements in surgical technique. For more information visit www.maloneycenter.com or call 770.804.0007.

Dr. Brian P. Maloney
Facial Plastic Surgeon
Atlanta, GA
(404) 252-5438