Premier : New lighting improves safety, reduces costs

As an award-winning Level 1 trauma center, Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, IL, encourages family involvement in the healing process. Its 24/7 open visitation policy drives a steady flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic into its parking garage. However, inadequate lighting that resulted in limited visibility in many areas made the environment seem unsafe to visitors and staff. A new lighting solution was needed.

The garage originally had yellow high-pressure sodium (HPS) fixtures, said Joe Stark, regional director, support services for Presence Saint Francis and Saint Joseph hospitals. "The yellow light did not give a sense of safety and security to people. I'm a huge advocate of bright, daylight-like light and the sense of security it gives to people," he said.

The HPS fixtures also required expensive, ongoing maintenance to replace bulbs and ballasts as well as electricians' time and that of another person to monitor garage traffic while electricians did their work.

Stark challenged Grainger, a Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC) contracted supplier, to help him find the best lighting solution for the garage. Working with a Grainger healthcare account manager, Stark evaluated lighting options. He looked initially at retrofitting existing fixtures with an LED lamp. But he was disappointed with the look of the fixtures and the quality of the light.

"Nothing looked good until we put in the sample Cree® VG Series parking structure and Cree Edge™ area LED luminaries," Stark said. "The light output, the fixture itself, the different coloration of the lumens - it was completely different, from yellow to white. As the replacement happened level by level, you could clearly see that Cree had the right fixture for the right application."

The new optimal light quality resulted in a greater sense of security for visitors and hospital staff while significantly reducing operating and maintenance costs.

Stark heard right away from the Saint Francis security manager who noted that security camera output was clearer. The white light made it possible to read license plate numbers and see other details easier.

Staff noted the improved visibility. The Presence Network News, the corporate newsletter, did a story on the garage lighting. "They interviewed one of the hospital employees who indicated she felt much safer with the new lighting as she walked from her car during second and third shifts. A sense of security in the parking garage is very important to the hospital employees and to me. I want our staff and visitors to feel safe when they come here."

The Cree VG Series parking structure and Cree Edge area LED luminaires not only provide optimal light quality, instilling a greater sense of security to hospital staff and visitors, but reduce operating costs and deliver energy savings.

Lighting maintenance has gone from ongoing to minimal, freeing maintenance staff for other projects. "Before the lighting change, maintenance crews were changing out lamps or ballasts at least every other week. Now with Cree, we haven't been in the garage since," Stark said.

A multi-level sensor chosen by Presence Saint Francis Hospital automatically lowers output from 100 percent to 25 percent after seven minutes of detecting no vehicle or pedestrian movement. That qualified the project for a large rebate from ComEd, the local electric utility.