In Healthcare Jobs, Green is a Good Thing

One company in Wisconsin is combining two of America's most popular industries by creating healthcare jobs that are green-oriented.

Affinity Health System, located in Northeast Wisconsin, specializes in "green health," which focuses on providing patients with the highest degree of care while taking steps to help protect the environment.

"Small steps, like using exam gowns made out of recycled paper to larger steps like building a clinic with recycled materials, are all part of healthcare’s push to be green," the company's Web site notes. "Each action accumulates into savings both financially and ecologically."

"At Affinity, we take pride in being an industry leader in sustainable design and finding new ways to protect our environment," the site adds. "Innovation moves us toward better care, a better environment and a better world."

Affinity is able to remain a sustainable green company by using an evidence-based design, a sustainable design and lean principles. The company has five clinics and an addition that have earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

As green careers are creating new jobs for employees in many industries, Affinity and other green-conscious companies are making important opportunities available in a declining economy.

The company's practices have been recognized by such agencies as Practice Greenhealth, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Making Medicine Mercury Free and Environmental Leadership Circle.

Affinity Health Systems also has won several awards for its efforts in being environmentally friendly, including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and Making Medicine Mercury Free award in 2006, and the company was inducted into the Environmental Leadership Circle by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment in 2007 and was awarded continuation in the Environmental Leadership Circle this year.