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Feature

North Carolina Hospitals Offer Breath of Fresh Air, Literally

TBy Stephanie Carson, N.C. Public News Service                  on air quality as it monitored the construction of Novant’s new
              wo major hospital systems in North Carolina are   Women’s Center in Matthews. The Environmental Protection
              taking steps to make sure their communities and   Agency estimates that every dollar spent on reducing diesel
              patients breathe easier on their campuses.        pollution results in $13 in public health benefits.
Beginning January 1, Carolinas HealthCare
                                                                  Thomas Zweng, MD, chief medical officer with Novant Health,
System and Novant Health now require all construction           championed Clean Air Carolina’s request from the beginning and
                                                                says the decision to reduce emissions on their campuses is in line
equipment on site to use the lowest exhaust-emitting machinery  with his organization’s mission.

                          and promote anti-idling                 “We exist to improve the health of the communities one person
                                                                at a time, and foundational to that is that we all have clean water
“This is a major          practices. The change                 and clean air,” says Zweng. “So it’s a natural alliance, a natural
                          came about after Clean                partnership, to work with others in the community who are
                                                                focused on clean air.”
clean air win for public  Air Carolina reached out
 health, and we are       to hospital leadership                  Carolinas HealthCare System has changed its policies
hoping other hospital     to educate them about                 regarding construction equipment. Director of Environmental
systems across North      the impact some                       Sustainability Solutions for the health system, Kady Cowan, says
 Carolina will follow     construction equipment                construction happens on medical campuses more often that you
                                                                might imagine.
                          can have on air quality.
                            Clean Air Carolina                    “We are constantly renovating and expanding and changing our
                                                                facilities,” says Cowan. “The idea is to really start to look towards
                          Executive Director June               market transformation and making sure that the most clean-
                                                                burning equipment is the equipment that is the most widely used
suit and take steps       Blotnick explains, “This              and available across Charlotte.”
 to reduce diesel         is a major clean air win
emissions on their        for public health, and we               According to the EPA, diesel exhaust contains more than 40
construction sites.”      are hoping other hospital             toxic pollutants and is a designated carcinogen by the World
                          systems across North                  Health Organization. Particulate matter found in the exhaust
                                                                contributes to asthma in vulnerable populations, as well as to
                          Carolina will follow suit             climate change.
                          and take steps to reduce

                          diesel emissions on their

                          construction sites.”

The group worked with Novant Health on a study in 2016 to

demonstrate the impact hospital construction projects can have

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