(Birren, 1961, p. 256)
The also staff decorates for every holiday, as part of our expression of the clinic as a place not unlike home. (Perkins & Giese, 1994, p.60)
As a health care provider, the clinic must also make special concessions to biomedical hazards. We are currently very vigilant in the manner of cleanliness of our facility as well as the special care given to make sure that any biohazard material is dealt with in such a manner that no one can be further affected by it. We also do these things in a consciously environmentally friendly way, utilizing a cleaning service that uses only ecologically friendly cleaners and the simplest forms of tried and true methods that has as little effect on the environment as possible.
Really Useful Guide;," 2006, p. 28) "By all means, good technology should not be curtailed, but care must be taken lest our water, air, and earth become irreparably harmed." (Eagle Man p.4)
We use recycled office products, whenever possible at my insistence and reuse cleaned or autoclave exam equipment in house, so as not to add to the cost burden of patients or the environment. We also do not use paper gowns or sheets but instead utilize reusable cotton gowns and sheets, both for patient comfort and to reduce unnecessary waste.
One scenario is to use comparisons of costs prices over time between "long-life, environmentally preferable" versus relative "short-life" products. Another scenario is to compare reusable and disposal product alternatives for the same applications. This has been done for many personal and medical products (e.g., diapers, surgical gowns, etc.) and brings into play life-cycle processes and associated total costs over time. (Fuller, 1999, p. 309)
We have found a significant cost reduction, and improve patient comfort have been the outcome, as well as the reduction of paper waste adding to burgeoning land fills. The medical industry has had a bad name with regard to waste as well as many other non-earth friendly aspects of care in the past. Our goal as a medical provider is to utilize as many stewardship principles as possible to facilitate healing of both the earth and the people upon it who we touch daily.
Conclusion:
We frequently emphasize the needs of the whole of the community through our thoughts and actions and rely heavily on the idea that We are all related, as a guide to our interactions with patients and other people we deal with on a daily basis. Returning to the simple ideals of the Eagle Man as a goal to strive for, the emphasis that the modern is not all bad and that we can save lives with the treatments that we use, but that we can also do so in a way that better serves our environment and our community, we will succeed in setting a good example for others to do the same.
References
Birren, F. (1961). Color Psychology and Color Therapy: A Factual Study of the Influence of Color on Human Life. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books.
Fox, D.M., & Ludden, J.M. (1998). Living but Not Dying by the Market: Recent Changes in Health Care. Daedalus, 127(4), 137.
Fuller, D. (1999). Marketing Mix Design-for-Environment (Dfe): A Systems Approach. 309.
Heirich, M. (1998). Rethinking Health Care: Innovation and Change in America. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Honari, M. & Boleyn, T. (Eds.). (1999). Health Ecology: Health, Culture, and Human-Environment Interaction. London: Routledge.
Perkins, L.K., & Giese, M.L. (1994). Cherokee Nation Youth Fitness Camp: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for Native American Youth. JOPERD -- the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 65(2), 60.
Rayner, L., & Easthope, G. (2001). Postmodern Consumption and Alternative Medications. Journal of Sociology, 37(2), 157.
Really Useful Guide; Alison Cork Cleans Up the Eco-Friendly Way, Catches Some Rays to Power Her Light Bulbs and Enjoys an Outdoor Concert in Her Garden. (2006, August 2). The Evening Standard (London, England), p. 28.
Stromwall, L.K. (2002). Is Social Work's Door Open to People Recovering from Psychiatric Disabilities?. Social Work, 47(1), 75.
