Chinese Hospital Association Architecture Branch Joins Global Green and Healthy Hospitals

China — On August 31, the Chinese Hospital Association Architecture System Research Branch (CHA) became a founding member of Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH).

The membership announcement came during the Green Hospital Solutions International Symposium held at the Zhengzhou International Exposition Center from Aug 31-Sept 2. The symposium drew an audience of more than 500 hospital and hospital design and construction professionals interested in sustainable building practices in Chinese hospital construction.

Speakers included Simon Burns, UK Department of Health, who pledged to continue the close collaboration between the UK National Health Service and China toward improving the quality of health service delivery throughout the system. GGHH Senior Advisor Robin Guenther FAIA described the history and trajectory of green building tools and standards in the US and their relevance in the advancement of green building in China, particularly as it relates to the Evaluation Criterion for Green Hospital Buildings developed and released in 2011 by the CHA.



Drawing extensively on the Green Guide for Health Care (a joint project of Health Care Without Harm and the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems), the Criterion was developed by a large group of volunteer institution stakeholders and represents a major leap forward in healthcare specific green building tools for Chinese hospitals.

At the opening ceremony celebrating the membership, Mr. Yantao Xin, Vice President of the Beijing Ditan Hospital Capital Medical University, briefly described the benefits of membership in a global network of hospitals pursuing best environmental practices.

Mrs. Dong Yu, chief member of the Chinese Hospital Association Architecture System Research Branch, accepted the founding membership certificate. “We are pleased to join Global Green and Healthy Hospitals as the first step in encouraging our member hospitals to individually begin the journey toward green hospital operation. We believe the GGHH will support our hospital members in using our Evaluation Criterion in the development of green hospitals.” GGHH Senior Advisor Robin Guenther thanked the CHA for joining in “making hospitals a source of restoration and health for this generation and future generations to come.”

The Chinese Hospital Association, a national,trade-oriented, non-profit healthcare organization, represents more than 1700 hospital and academic members, 7000 individual members and 22 branches.

Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of more than 500 organizations in 53 countries, working to transform the health care sector worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment. Visit the HCWH website for more information.