Healing Garden Grows in Bhopal
The story of the Sambhavna Clinic, a non-profit holistic health clinic in Bhopal, India, built to treat those injured by the Union Carbide toxic gas release in 1984. enlarge video
The story of the Sambhavna Clinic, a non-profit holistic health clinic in Bhopal, India, built to treat those injured by the Union Carbide toxic gas release in 1984. enlarge video
Environmental Health News
October 27, 2012, Modern Healthcare
By Ashok Selvam
By Ashok Selvam
New breed of manager works to curb energy use, resource consumption
Excerpt: "Hospitals, because of their 24/7 operations, rank as one of the largest consumers of energy. Healthcare facilities consume more than 10% of the total energy used in U.S. commercial buildings and spend more than $8 billion a year on energy, including gas and electricity, according to the U.S. Energy Department. And healthcare facilities as a sector rank close to the top for total electricity consumption among commercial buildings. The large expenditure presents a target for sustainability officers to attack, but only if they have adequate staffing resources. " more
October 12, 2012, The Nation
By Kendra Klein
By Kendra Klein
A New Prescription For the Local Food Movement
Excerpt: "Some hospitals, like St. Joe's in Ann Arbor, are seeking out local food—but for the local food movement, meeting their needs is a challenge." moreJuly 31, 2012,
Other Chemical News
Excerpt: "Health Care Without Harm is one of 35 groups file comments supporting EPA efforts to reduce exposure to toxic flame retardants. Kelli Barber, RN, MN, chair of HCWH's Nurse Working Group, was quoted in a press release from Sen.Max Baucus announcing the Senator's support for the Safe Chemicals Act and his decision to co-sponsor the bill." moreJuly 27, 2012, The Huffington Post Blog
By Lisa P. Jackson, EPA Administrator
By Lisa P. Jackson, EPA Administrator
Updating Our Chemical Laws After 36 Years
Excerpt: "In 1976, Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act -- or TSCA -- to protect our health from the increasing number of chemicals in our products and our environment. In the four decades since its passage, many laws have changed to better protect our safety, yet TSCA has not." moreJune 12, 2012, Harvard Business Review Blog Network
By Andrew Winston
By Andrew Winston
Why Kaiser Permanente Is Integrating Sustainability into Health Care Operations
Excerpt: "Kaiser Permanente (KP), one of the largest health care providers in America, has a clear mission: improve health. In a surprising and welcome twist, KP is publicly recognizing that climate change threatens that mission. This health care leader is showing how an authentic, mission-driven connection to global issues can drive change." moreApril 9, 2012, HHI Press Release
Leading Hospitals Challenge Sector to Improve Health, Reduce Costs
Excerpt: "The Healthier Hospitals Initiative launches the HHI Challenge, an effort to recruite 2000 hospitals to sign up to develop sustainable operations in the fields of Leadership, Waste Reduction, Healthier Food, Chemical Reduction, Environmentally Preferred Purchasing and Leaner Energy." moreJanuary 16, 2012, British Medical Journal (BMJ)
By Ray Moynihan
By Ray Moynihan
The Greening of Medicine
Excerpt: "The depth of the climate crisis has finally forced the spotlight of mainstream environmental scrutiny on medicine, quickly diagnosing the need to dramatically cut healthcare’s unhealthy carbon footprint. Ray Moynihan explores early preparations for a low carbon health system." moreDate, Source
APHA Approves Policy on PVC in Facilities with Vulnerable Populations
Excerpt: "Summary" moreApril 6, 2011, HCWH, ANHE, NASN
The Economic Affliction of Asthma and Risks of Blocking Air Pollution Safeguards
Excerpt: "In a major first-ever report analyzing detailed asthma incidence and cost data, HCWH, ANHE and NASN conclude that the already staggering human and financial toll of asthma in the U.S. is likely to increase if Congress acts to stop important updates to the Clean Air Act." moreJuly 6, 2010, New York Times
By Ingfei Chen
By Ingfei Chen
Making a Dent in Medical Waste
Excerpt: "New York Times article providing an overview of reprocessing as a strategy to reduce medical waste. " moreMay 4, 2009, Mother Nature Network
By Emily Gertz
By Emily Gertz
Phthalates Raising Concerns
Excerpt: "Chemical additives found in everything from nail polish to shower curtains to window blinds may be linked to various health problems. As The Graduate once predicted, plastics have become ubiquitous. Unfortunately a common chemical additive of this now-indispensable material, called phthalates, is raising some concerns." moreApril 27, 2009, Los Angeles Times
By Elena Conis
By Elena Conis
Hospitals Adding Fresh, Organic Food to the Menu
Excerpt: "More hospitals in the U.S. are offering organic produce and hormone- and antibiotic-free meats and dairy foods in response to a trend toward healthier eating habits. Spurred by patient demand, concerns about setting a healthful example and a desire to make notoriously bad hospital food nutritious and appetizing, more hospitals are making strides in serving their patients fresh, organic and local produce alongside meats and dairy foods that are hormone- and antibiotic-free, as well as minimally processed." moreJanuary 14, 2009, Green Guide for Health Care Press Release
Revised GGHC Operations Section Released
Excerpt: "The most significant revision to the Green Guide for Health Care Version 2.2 Operations section to date has been released, marking the completion of a rigorous development process including two public comment periods." moreWebinar: How Sustainable Hospitals Are Achieving Major Savings
Health Care Without Harm and The Commonwealth Fund present a webinar based on the recent groundbreaking findings on how hospitals can achieve savings and reduce their carbon footprint through sustainability programs. This one-hour webinar draws on the findings of a recent Health Care Without Harm Research Collaborative/ Commonwealth Fund study, "Can Sustainable Hospitals Help Bend the Health Care Cost Curve?" which shows that savings from interventions to reduce energy use and waste, and achieve operating room supply efficiencies could exceed $5.4 billion over five years and $15 billion over 10 years for the health care sector. In addition to detailing the study findings, the webinar includes presentations from two health systems about why they chose to focus on sustainability and what challenges and rewards are in store.
Key Resources
- Energy Impact Calculator
What are your facility's energy health impacts and costs? What can you do to improve them?
- Learn about Practice Greenhealth and the Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange
- Green Guide for Health Care Report:
A Prescriptive Path to Energy Efficiency for Hospitals
download report (pdf) read abstract (pdf) - Healthcare Energy Project Guidebook, designed to provide decision makers with knowledge about improving energy efficiency (pdf)
