Hospital Scrubs

Connecticut Hospital Adopts Green Cleaning Regime

Surgery patients and birthing mothers in Greenwich, Conn., will no longer be assaulted by that "hospital smell" in most parts of Greenwich Hospital now that the facility has made a switch to using eco-friendly cleaning products. The hospital is thought to be among the first in the U.S. to reject harsh chemicals in favor of equally effective but more environmentally benign cleaning products. Other hospitals around the country are considering a similar shift, said Cecilia DeLoash of Washington, D.C.-based Hospitals for a Healthy Environment. Anthony Como, Greenwich Hospital's director of hospitality services, predicts that the new cleaning scheme will cut down on eye and nose irritation and respiratory problems that were caused by harsh cleaning agents and will enable employees to be more efficient "because we're not being chased out by the smell."