INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
Healthier Hospitals Initiative
Helping hospitals
get healthier
Sustainability initiative enables health systems to take a closer look at their own environment
Hospitals are places of health and healing—including treating people whose illnesses can be directly linked to unhealthy environments. So, it makes sense that they would think about the environmental impact of the construction materials that go into new building projects as well as the furniture, fixtures, and equipment that exist among patients, staff, and visitors.
Back in 2012, several hospital systems around the U.S. came together to sponsor the Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI) in partnership with Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), the Center for Health Design and Practice Greenhealth. The premise: hospitals contribute to a healthier environment for their communities by doing things like applying new standards for construction, maintenance, and products; reducing waste; using safer chemicals.
"Healthcare environments have always been a primary focus for Takeform. We understand the critical nature of these spaces, so engineering our products with healthy materials has always been a top priority— even well before HHI."
- Chris Phillips, Director of Engineering at Takeform
The free, three-year program was the beginning of a national effort to transform environmental health and sustainability in the health care sector. It offered hospitals tools to help them build best practices into their operation. And its early success has kept the momentum going to this day.
Best practices for hospitals
The initial program offered participating hospitals multiple ways to cultivate a more sustainable, environmentally friendly space—and to make the space itself healthier, too. That included prioritizing safer chemicals and making sure everything from building materials to furniture to experiential graphics (ahem) were environmentally friendly, too. After all, what better place to make sure the environment is as healthy as possible than a hospital?
"Sustainability is a consideration for so many professions that touch acute and ambulatory care facilities. During the design process, it comes up with almost every stakeholder, from project owners to healthcare architects to contractors and interior designers."
- Keri Fate, Director of Healthcare at Takeform
Takeform steps up
For Takeform, that meant reviewing all the materials that go into signage systems to ensure health system clients (as well as any client with concerns) that we're compliant with HHI standards. It also meant thinking about how easy we've made it to reuse our products.
Takeform and the Healthy Interiors Commitment
Takeform supports HHI's Healthy Interiors component [products free of formaldehyde, flame retardants, fluorochemicals (PFCs), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or antimicrobials] with a broad range of product lines.
Fusion Architectural Signage
Vivid Image-Intense Signage
Lucid Refined Interior Signage
Applaud Recognition Displays
Moxie Graphic Panels
Amplify Custom Wallcovering & Window Film
Ethos Dimensional Letters & Logos
Oomph Sound-Absorbing Design Elements
Adjoin Adaptive Panel & Partition System
Additions Wall Accessories
Signify Exterior Signage
Transit Parking Facility Signage
Takeform experiential graphics solutions support HHI across the product offering.
And even if the signage itself can't be repurposed, Takeform products often contain material that can be recycled. Takeform is also mindful of the materials and adhesives used to fabricate products.
The campaign lives on
What began with 500 hospital locations has now reached more than 1,300 facilities—adding to the chances Takeform will team up with more health systems on sustainable graphics. And healthcare is one of Takeform's first loves.
To find out more about HHI, whose program continues today through Practice Greenhealth, visit practicegreenhealth.org/healthierhospitals.
Tell your brand story: Solutions for every market
Architects & Designers | Healthcare | Education | Corporate | Libraries | Senior Living | Government
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
Healthier Hospitals Initiative
Helping hospitals
get healthier
Sustainability initiative enables health systems to take a closer look at their own environment
Hospitals are places of health and healing—including treating people whose illnesses can be directly linked to unhealthy environments. So, it makes sense that they would think about the environmental impact of the construction materials that go into new building projects as well as the furniture, fixtures, and equipment that exist among patients, staff, and visitors.
Back in 2012, several hospital systems around the U.S. came together to sponsor the Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI) in partnership with Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), the Center for Health Design and Practice Greenhealth. The premise: hospitals contribute to a healthier environment for their communities by doing things like applying new standards for construction, maintenance, and products; reducing waste; using safer chemicals.
"Healthcare environments have always been a primary focus for Takeform. We understand the critical nature of these spaces, so engineering our products with healthy materials has always been a top priority— even well before HHI."
- Chris Phillips, Director of Engineering at Takeform
The free, three-year program was the beginning of a national effort to transform environmental health and sustainability in the health care sector. It offered hospitals tools to help them build best practices into their operation. And its early success has kept the momentum going to this day.
Best practices for hospitals
The initial program offered participating hospitals multiple ways to cultivate a more sustainable, environmentally friendly space—and to make the space itself healthier, too. That included prioritizing safer chemicals and making sure everything from building materials to furniture to experiential graphics (ahem) were environmentally friendly, too. After all, what better place to make sure the environment is as healthy as possible than a hospital?
"Sustainability is a consideration for so many professions that touch acute and ambulatory care facilities. During the design process, it comes up with almost every stakeholder, from project owners to healthcare architects to contractors and interior designers."
- Keri Fate, Director of Healthcare at Takeform
Takeform steps up
For Takeform, that meant reviewing all the materials that go into signage systems to ensure health system clients (as well as any client with concerns) that we're compliant with HHI standards. It also meant thinking about how easy we've made it to reuse our products.
And even if the signage itself can't be repurposed, Takeform products often contain material that can be recycled. Takeform is also mindful of the materials and adhesives used to fabricate products.
Takeform and the Healthy Interiors Commitment
Takeform supports HHI's Healthy Interiors component [products free of formaldehyde, flame retardants, fluorochemicals (PFCs), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or antimicrobials] with a broad range of product lines.
Fusion Architectural Signage
Vivid Image-Intense Signage
Lucid Refined Interior Signage
Applaud Recognition Displays
Moxie Graphic Panels
Amplify Custom Wallcovering & Window Film
Ethos Dimensional Letters & Logos
Oomph Sound-Absorbing Design Elements
Adjoin Adaptive Panel & Partition System
Additions Wall Accessories
Signify Exterior Signage
Transit Parking Facility Signage
Takeform experiential graphics solutions support HHI across the product offering.
The campaign lives on
What began with 500 hospital locations has now reached more than 1,300 facilities—adding to the chances Takeform will team up with more health systems on sustainable graphics. And healthcare is one of Takeform's first loves.
To find out more about HHI, whose program continues today through Practice Greenhealth, visit practicegreenhealth.org/healthierhospitals.
Tell your brand story: Solutions for every market
Architects & Designers | Healthcare | Education | Corporate | Libraries | Senior Living | Government
