In Béziers, a maternity hospital goes green

In Béziers, a maternity hospital goes green

In Béziers, a maternity hospital meets new environmental requirements. Here are, point by point, the keys to the organic universe developed by this eco-clinic which welcomes 1 babies every year in a cheerful and colorful setting designed by stylist Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.

the Champeau clinic, a pioneer

By adopting a green policy, the Champeau clinic in Béziers (Hérault) is a pioneer. Moreover, it aligns the labels, prizes and awards: first health establishment certified by an ecological standard in 2001, winner of the Business & Environment prize awarded in 2005 by the Minister of Ecology … Here, everything is done to offer mothers and babies a respectful approach to birth in the least polluted environment possible.

Converted for ten years to the green cause, Olivier Toma, the director of this new generation maternity unit now wants to go to school. With the creation in 2006 of the Committee for Sustainable Development in Health (C2DS) which identifies and disseminates all eco-gestures and good practices to health professionals, he hopes to see other healthcare establishments follow the same path. “Protecting your environment is the first step in health,” he says. Clean energy, organic building materials, recycling policy, alternative medicine, glass bottles, promotion of breastfeeding… From staff to future mothers, everyone here has adopted a green attitude.

Aware of their company’s environmental approach, many employees wanted to go further. Everyone commits to respecting 10 eco-friendly actions every day.

A green building from floor to ceiling

From the parking lot, the tone is set: a sign invites you to shut down your engine “Out of respect for our environment and our health”. A few steps away, the completely renovated building is showing its record. Labeled “High environmental quality” (HQE), it combines performance. Starting with the control of energy. Natural light is privileged with bay windows and, in the operating theaters, glazing has been fixed in height. EDF is committed to supplying electricity from renewable energies, such as wind turbines. A computer-controlled heat pump then regulates the temperatures. This green policy is also reflected in the choice of non-toxic and non-polluting construction materials in order to preserve the health of patients: water-based paints devoid of solvents and certified by an eco-label cover the walls; on the ground, a kind of lino made from jute, glued with natural resin. All materials (varnish, insulation, etc.) are certified by an environmental standard excluding, for example, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are harmful to health. Each quarter, an independent laboratory ensures the quality of the indoor air.

Selective sorting and haro on the waste!

Doctors, healthcare and administrative staff… Everyone is involved. Even mothers who are asked, after use, to throw the small glass bottles in a container. That is to say eight nurses per day for each baby. Add to it the champagne bottles emptied by families to water the births and that’s a ton of glass recycled every year. In all departments, there are containers of different colors intended for sorting waste before recycling. We thus recover the plastic, the paper from which it is necessary to remove the staples, the neon lights which contain mercury, but also the expired x-rays whose recycling allows to collect their silver salts in the process and avoids the discharge into the sewers of toxic products. like developers and other fixatives. Every two months, an environmental health committee brings together all the stakeholders in the clinic concerned and the patients who so wish to take stock of the actions taken.

Priority is also given to the fight against waste. From the outset, Olivier Toma, the director of the clinic, serves you a little coffee in a cup: “To avoid plastic cups”. And pushes a box of lumpy sugar towards you: “Like that, no packets of sugar either.” “In all offices and departments, it’s the same watchword: haro on waste! We print our documents only when necessary. We prefer double-sided printing. When we leave, we do not leave the electrical appliances in standby mode, we turn them off… In the toilets and many corridors, timers, as well as low consumption light bulbs have been installed. Water savers have been placed on all taps and in the showers. An ingenious distribution circuit has also been developed to recover water at 140 ° C, used to sterilize surgical instruments. Every day, 24 liters of perfectly sterile water went down the drain. Today, it feeds the flushes. Between the TV or air conditioning remote controls, electronic thermometers, syringe shoots… Battery consumption had become staggering. With the support of Ademe, a solar collector was therefore recently installed on the roof to supply, on an experimental basis, an accumulator allowing the batteries to be recharged. They can now be reused multiple times. Olivier Toma and his team recently took up a new issue: how to reduce the environmental impact of the 000 diapers used each year by the maternity hospital. Biodegradable diapers or washable diapers? The debate is not yet settled because, in both cases, the cost remains high and the logistical problems numerous. How do you find, for example, the laundry that will accept to wash these thousands of diapers?

In the hall, Sophie who has just given birth to a baby Augustin has made her choice. For her, these are the washable diapers in certified organic cotton “Ordered in sufficient quantity to do a laundry every two days. It’s green, and the washing machine does the job, not me! », Assures the mother.

The hunt for chemicals: organic care and glass bottles

In a care establishment where cleanliness and disinfection must reign according to health safety rules, it is difficult to avoid conventional detergents. But they are often aggressive for health, responsible for irritation, skin or respiratory allergies … And sometimes composed of glycol ethers or solvents accused of causing carcinogenic risks or reproductive disorders. To gradually get rid of this chemical pollution, the Champeau clinic has started experimenting with organic cleaning and hygiene products. “It is not a question of playing sorcerer’s apprentice,” warns Olivier Toma, however, that operating theaters are not concerned for the moment. A steam disinfection process is also tested. “It kills all microbes and in addition, it allows to halve the consumption of cleaning products,” he enthuses. In the same vein, a water pasteurization system has been installed in the basement. Thanks to thermal shocks, it destroys legionella and other bacteria in the hot water circuit, without chemical treatment. A global approach to risk prevention, which has led the establishment to also work on the search for infusion equipment and blood bags without phthalates. This component present in PVC to soften it is classified as toxic for reproduction and development. It has even been banned by the European Union in toys intended for children under 3 years old, as well as in pacifiers. It is not easy to replace it because substitute products are still rare, or even non-existent. On the other hand, for rigid plastic bottles which until 2011 contained bisphenol A, a chemical compound potentially harmful to infants, the solution was quickly found. All replaced by glass bottles!

Respect for mothers and make way for dads

In the obstetrical unit, a subdued light bathes the birthing rooms. On the walls, posters indicate the different positions for giving birth. On the side, squatting, hanging from a rope… Here, freedom of choice is the rule. “Listening to future mothers and personalized support are part of our priorities,” confirms Odile Puel, the midwife responsible for the maternity ward. On the big day, everyone can therefore please bring their favorite music, ask that daddy be there and stay, even in the event of a cesarean. An atmosphere that aims to be serene and where the technique is only invited in case of necessity. As a result, the caesarean section rate of about 18% is lower than the national average, as is the episiotomy rate, which here is around 6%. On the other hand, to eliminate unnecessary suffering, many mothers, around 90%, call for an epidural. If all safety requirements are obviously met, medical surveillance strives at discretion even after birth to respect the privacy of the mother and her newborn. But dads also have their place. During this high point, they too are encouraged to practice skin to skin with their babies. If they wish, they can share the mother’s room until she leaves the maternity ward. At the end of the pastel pink hallway, the Birth Info Center accompanies the mother from the start of her pregnancy until her return home. Preparation for birth, administrative procedures, advice on perineal rehabilitation, childcare options, etc. Not to mention awareness of domestic accidents or car safety. In this place of listening, young mothers can also confide in their little worries and consult a psychologist if necessary.

Breastfeeding, skin to skin and organic massages for happy babies

From birth, the baby is placed on his mother’s belly to promote skin-to-skin contact. And her first feed, if her mother wishes. Detailed examination of the infant and screening tests will wait, barring a medical emergency. This intimate meeting can, if the mother wishes, last more than an hour. Then, everything is done for the well-being of the infant. These first hours, it is a question of avoiding the cold and the tears as much as possible. First, it is simply wiped and dried gently. The first bath will be the next day only. Every evening, an organic herbal tea is served to mothers who have chosen to breastfeed. A subtle blend of fennel, anise, cumin and lemon balm, from controlled organic farming, which has the ability to facilitate lactation. The maternity unit, which applies for the “Hospital, baby friend” label, has chosen, in line with its prevention mission, to encourage breastfeeding. Several members of the nursing staff have therefore been trained to obtain the international certificate of lactation counselor. Surrounded and made aware of this natural and preventive gesture, around 70% of mothers who give birth here choose to breast-feed their babies.

During their stay in the maternity ward, the nursing staff will do their best to understand the specific needs of the newborn and organize care according to their biological rhythms. Prevention is not forgotten. Each baby is screened for deafness. In the nursery, where the sun is pouring in, Aaron, two days old, seems in heaven. Marie-Sophie shows Julie, her mother, how to massage it gently. “Small, slow pressures all over her body to calm the baby, give the mother confidence and establish the first links between them”, explains the nursery nurse. On the changing table, organic massage oils with calendula extract, without synthetic fragrance, parabens, solvents or mineral oil. “The skin of infants does not yet have a lipid film to protect itself from external aggressions, so we pay attention to the products used”, specifies Marie-Sophie. On the top floor, on the clinic director’s desk, the infant cosmetics file is wide open. “Studies show that these products are not all harmless, we need to see more clearly. His next battle.