Session Description

Transportation is often overlooked when identifying pollution sources and opportunities for improved environmental performance in health care, yet cars contribute to smog, poor visibility and poor air quality, especially in congested areas. While one can’t smell carbon monoxide, it is emitted from cars and impact people through reducing the amount of oxygen that is transferred to muscles and to the organs. Those at greatest risk are those with heart or respiratory disease. According to the EPA, in 2008, 27% of greenhouse gases came from transportation sources. Greenhouse gases are forecasted to increase dramatically for this sector. Nestled by mountains, lakes and Puget Sound, Seattle’s landscape intensifies a serious traffic congestion problem. The City of Seattle created an ordinance that requires large employers to reduce their drive-alone rate as one measure to alleviate the impact of transportation on the roads and the environment. Seattle Children’s goal was to expand its campus in North East Seattle but reduce the rate of single occupancy vehicle use and avoid the need to construct 500 new parking stalls at an estimated cost of $20,000,000. The precious space that would be needed for the additional 500 parking places could be put to better use for clinical space. This, in combination with Seattle Children’s commitment to the health of its workers and community, led to the development of a comprehensive transportation plan, developed in tandem with the facility’s strategic plan, looking ahead twenty years, starting in 2013.

Seattle Children’s goal is to reduce single vehicle car use from its current rate of 40% to the rate of 30% by 2028 or the completion of its master plan. The transportation plan has already received notice and has garnered The Governor’s Commute Smart Award, EPA’s Commuter Choice Leadership Award, Commuter Challenge’s Diamond Award; Zip car’s 2010 Wheel of Change Award and is recognized as a model in healthy commuting strategies, safety and prevention. Seattle Children’s has also won Practice Greenhealth’s Partner for Change Award.

Learning Objectives

• Understand why every hospital should have a transportation plan.
• How a transportation plan can contribute to a healthier environment.
• Understand how Seattle Children’s sets transportation goals and measures progress with their transportation plan.

Presenters

Paulo Nunes-Ueno, Director, Transportation and Sustainability Seattle Children's

Paulo Nunes-Ueno is the director of transportation and sustainability for Seattle Children's, one of the nation's top pediatric hospitals and research institutes, and is Vice President of Puget Sound Bike Share. Seattle Children's is a leader in progressive transportation programs winning 6 Diamond Awards for outstanding commute programs and several Governor's Awards for excellence in Transportation Demand Management Seattle Children's has also received the 2008 Governor's Award for Sustainable Practices, the 2010 Practice Green Health Partner for Change Award for its efforts at eliminating mercury, and reducing waste and pollution from its operations, and the 2011 Seattle Business Magazine Green Washington Award.

Paulo holds a bachelor's degree from New York University and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Washington.

Michelle Rosenthal, Product Manager, Luum

Michelle Rosenthal is a Product Manager at Luum who defines the end-user experience and look-and-feel of the site. Michelle works closely with the team’s developers to articulate feature requirements and develops mock-ups and feature flows. She also maintains the backlog of work, bug database, and runs planning and daily scrum meetings. Michelle works closely with clients to ensure that the products being delivered meet their needs and expectations. Michelle previously worked as a Software Engineer in Test for the Expression suite of products at Microsoft for 3 years and later transferred roles to Program Manager on the Blend for Visual Studio team, working on developer/designer tools for Windows 8 applications. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree as an Digital Media Design major. She was on the board of Women in Computer Science at Penn for 3 years and is currently the Secretary of the Women’s Philanthropic Investment Group of Seattle, a local non-profit geared towards helping women and children in need move towards self-sufficiency.

Pricing

Member: $0  Non-member: $0