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Environmental Sustainability in Healthcare

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Making Greener Hospital Systems

Environmental and climate concerns continue to make headlines across the country and around the globe. The healthcare industry accounts for approximately 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, and our facilities represent around 10% of commercial energy usage in the U.S. 

At our recent Virtual Leadership Symposium, many health system leaders shared how their ESG strategies mean investing in a cleaner planet to create healthier communities—and a healthier bottom line. In recognition of Earth Day, we’re sharing just three of these systems’ impactful initiatives.  

Henry Ford Health

Henry Ford Health believes that climate change is affecting our health. To help address this, the system has made commitments for 2030 and 2040 as part of a comprehensive sustainability approach, says CEO Wright Lassiter, III. The system is a founding member of the Michigan ESG Leadership Council, a statewide coalition that also includes major global corporations. Efforts within the plan include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, chemicals of concern and waste to landfills, as well as initiatives to purchase local/sustainable foods and invest in eco-architecture. 

In addition to aligning with the system’s vision of a healthy Michigan, Lassiter says, the climate commitment supports Henry Ford Health’s diversity, equity, inclusion and justice plan. Heavily disenfranchised communities are often the most heavily impacted by negative climate results. Lassiter hopes that Henry Ford Health is seen as leading by example in this critical endeavor.

Providence Health

In his Virtual Leadership Symposium session, Rod Hochman, MD, President/CEO, Providence Health, listed climate change as one of the “The Six Biggest External Factors Shaping the Future of Healthcare.” Hochman described two “buckets” of healthcare industry concerns tied to climate change: how it affects our patients and their health, and how we can create and modify our facilities to be prepared for the changes we will see. 

Across its system is seven states, Providence Health has developed the WE ACT framework to organize, mobilize, track, and report the organization’s efforts. The acronym represents the key focus areas of the plan, which is embedded into the organization’s strategic plan: Waste, Energy & Water, Agriculture & Food, Chemicals and Transportation. The system aims to be carbon negative by 2030. 

Hochman also described climate change mitigation within healthcare as a “grassroots movement” that is particularly important with younger generations entering the workforce. Providence Health is increasingly seeing candidates who are focused on their employer having an ESG plan. 

Stony Brook Medicine 

In 2009, Stony Brook University Hospital on Long Island was the first hospital in the nation to pledge to reduce its environmental impact through a Go Green Memorandum of Understanding agreement with the EPA. The organization designed an ambitious, award-winning, nine-point plan that addresses familiar categories such as reducing waste and chemical pollution. 

The first initiative in the plan is “Engaged Leadership,” and it’s also the most crucial, says CEO/COO Carol Gomes, FACHE. Stony Brook Medicine’s commitment is baked into the culture, and responsibility and accountability starts at the top. The organization has created a steering committee with designated leaders from each functional area to create two-way communication and buy-in across the organization. 

Keeping the planet clean is not the only incentive for environmental initiatives. Stony Brook University Hospital is the safety net hospital to the area, a role that requires fiscal stewardship, as well. Nearly every area of the nine-point plan has demonstrated monetary benefits. For instance, the early phases of energy conservation at the organization (through 2019) yielded $3.25 million in savings in utility costs alone. In her session, Gomes describes an insulin waste reduction initiative that saves more than $300,000 annually—with no additional expenditures. Savings are deposited into a green fund, giving the organization the budget resources to sustain ESG investments long-term and further amplify impact. 



If you are a registered attendee for the Virtual Leadership Symposium, you can access the recordings of these sessions the meeting platform until May 10. Recorded sessions are eligible for self-reported ACHE Qualified Education credit toward attaining or recertifying your FACHE® credential.