The Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center is Green on Earth Day … and Every Day!

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. - April 22, 2014 - PRLog -- Since we opened the doors to our 137-bed, 165,000-square-foot home back in March of 2012, the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center has received significant praise not only for its commitment to its children, but its commitment to the environment as well.

The driving forces behind the Pediatric Center’s “green” initiative and design are two-fold. First, going “green” allows us to create the healthiest environment for the medically complex children that we care for. Most of the children who reside at the Pediatric Center have significant respiratory and pulmonary issues. To ensure optimal air quality, our facility was built with one of the most sophisticated HVAC systems with HEPA filtration to make sure that the air that our children breathe is 99.9% pollutant-free. Our building was also sited intentionally in a locale that permits as much sunlight as possible to shine through our windows. Every child that resides in our facility has a window in their room so that they can wake up and see the world around them; not only does this add to the ambiance of our facility but, from a medical perspective, it allows our residents to absorb Vitamin D without even having to leave the building.

Second, our “green” initiative and design leads to more efficient operations. For example, the amount of sunlight our building receives enables us to reduce electrical consumption and light pollution. In addition, all of our systems run on very high efficiency and we also recycle universal waste such as batteries, light bulbs and electronic waste.

“Green” practices are quite literally in the foundation of our building, as well. During the construction of our facility, almost 20% of all materials used to build the Pediatric Center were manufactured within 500 miles of our home in Yonkers. In addition, all of the wood used in our facility was grown in a renewable and managed forest.

Our “green” environment positively impacts our residents, their families and even staff members. The Pediatric Center recently implemented a “Go Green” Committee with the aim of educating the entire Pediatric Center community about our facility’s “green” initiatives like recycling and eco-friendly living, as evidenced by our use of green housekeeping products and practices.

The Pediatric Center’s commitment to the environment expands outside of its walls, too. We aim to be good stewards of our land and resources and, as a result, our beautiful 6.5 acre campus boasts a rose, pizza and sound garden, as well as a nature trail, for our residents and their families to enjoy.

We are incredibly proud that the Pediatric Center’s “green” accomplishments have been recognized by outside organizations. In 2012, the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center received a Greenie Award from the Yonkers Green Policy Task Force for meeting green building standards, as well as a Certificate of Merit from the New York State Assembly for “working to ensure that the beauty of our environment is preserved, restored and appreciated.”

Most notably, our facility has been awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, a prestigious third-party verification for green buildings. The Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center is the only LEED Gold certified “green” pediatric facility in the country. In order to reach LEED Gold Certification, the Pediatric Center achieved high standards in categories that assessed water efficiency, energy and atmosphere sustainability and indoor environmental quality.

About the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center

The Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center is a not-for-profit, pediatric specialty nursing facility, serving children from infancy through age 21, who are among the most medically complex children in New York State. The Pediatric Center, which is a 137-bed and 165,000-square-foot complex located in Yonkers, just celebrated its 25th year of service. This state-of-the-art, child-centered building is the only LEED Gold certified “green” pediatric facility in the country. Children come to us with serious medical and neurological challenges including, but not limited to: premature birth complications; cerebral palsy; congenital heart disease; chronic lung disease; chromosome, metabolic and respiratory disorders; muscular and neurological diseases; and immunodeficiency syndromes. We provide comprehensive healthcare, rehabilitation and special education services to all our residents. Learn more about the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center at setonpediatric.org and find us on Facebook at facebook.com/setonpediatric.