False dichotomy: Safe or responsible lighting
The recent article regarding Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s lighting waiver missed the key reality: residents at the March 26 Planning Board hearing do not oppose necessary safe lighting. They advocated for sensible design and shielding to protect patients, EMTs, neighbors, and nature. Framing this as a binary conflict between health fears and the hospital’s safety needs ignored the practical solutions repeatedly offered.
Patient safety and responsible lighting are not mutually exclusive. The article framed the community’s input as solely focused on blue light’s health impacts (which were based on peer reviewed science). However, the core argument was that excessively bright, blue, unshielded lighting creates immediate physical hazards and has long-term consequences. Medical professionals and residents testified that harsh glare decreases visual acuity, endangering ambulance drivers and the general public.
Even the state guidance on Laura’s Law, which the hospital claimed mandates their design, explicitly warns against glare and shadows that impair visibility. Northampton’s lighting ordinance similarly prohibits unshielded glare and light trespass. There is significant glare and light trespass created by the ambulance canopy lighting at night.
The reporting also ignored an electrical engineer’s detailed report demonstrating the hospital could provide perfectly safe patient transfer areas using shielded task lighting and warmer, lower-Kelvin bulbs. These solutions satisfy the city ordinance and the Illuminating Engineering Society standards without compromising emergency care.
Finally, the board didn’t just delay their vote to study canopy shielding. They asked the hospital to investigate all of the engineer’s recommendations, including motion-controlled dimming and improved fixture shielding. Crucially, the board also addressed other non-compliant lights across the campus. A major development was the board floating a compromise granting the canopy waiver on condition of an enforcement order to bring the rest of the hospital campus into compliance.
Our community immensely values Cooley Dickinson, but a large institution shouldn’t ignore city ordinances when viable, evidence-based alternatives exist in the form of minor modifications. We can protect emergency patients, residents, and wildlife simultaneously. Local reporting should reflect this holistic effort.
Catherine Moriarty, Steering Committee, Northampton City Lights
Northampton