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
Leading the Health Care Sector to Sustainability
Practice Greenhealth, HCWH, and the Healthier Hospitals Initiative describe strategies and resources for bringing sustainable practices to the health care sector. enlarge video
Practice Greenhealth, HCWH, and the Healthier Hospitals Initiative describe strategies and resources for bringing sustainable practices to the health care sector. enlarge video
Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of more than 470 organizations in 52 countries working to transform the health care sector so it is no longer a source of harm to people and the environment. enlarge video
Medical Waste, A Call to Action for Health Care. Find out why incineration is harmful and about better alternatives for medical waste treatment. enlarge video
Press Room
HCWH News
April 10, 2013
Health Care Without Harm Press Release
Health Care Without Harm Press Release
HCWH Supports Safe Chemicals Act of 2013
Calling it a major step forward for public health, Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) applauded Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and 29 other U.S. senators for introducing the Safe Chemicals Act of 2013. The legislation would provide long overdue fixes to the nation’s broken chemical policies and limit the use of unsafe chemicals linked to a wide range of diseases and health conditions. more
April 5, 2013
Health Care Without Harm Blog
Health Care Without Harm Blog
HCWH Blog: What does Climate Change Have to Do With Health Care?
moreMarch 5, 2013
Health Care Without Harm Blog
Health Care Without Harm Blog
Reducing Toxic Flame Retardants in Health Care, One Chair at a Time
California has proposed to change an obscure rule that for decades has resulted in our ongoing exposure to hazardous chemicals in our homes and workplaces. The rule, a 1970s-era standard that was intended to protect people from fires, instead led to the widespread use of ineffective toxic flame retardants in upholstered furniture in American homes and workplaces. HCWH asks readers to send a letter of support for the changes. moreEnvironmental Health News
February 26, 2013, NewHampshire.com
By Melanie Plenda
By Melanie Plenda
Hospital Cafeterias Attract Granite State Diners
Excerpt: "Judy Tobin of Keene is in the hospital at least twice a week. She's not sick or visiting ill friends, she's there for the food. Folks who come to eat at the hospital regularly know that if they want to eat healthy, they can." moreOctober 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. " moreOctober 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." moreReports and Publications
April 2013
Health Care Research Collaborative
Health Care Research Collaborative
Scientific Evidence of Health Effects from Coal Use in Energy Generation
The pollutants generated from coal combustion have profound effects on the health of local communities but can also travel long distances, affecting communities remote from power plants. moreJune 13, 2012
Health Care Research Collaborative
Health Care Research Collaborative
Mercury in Dental Amalgam and Resin-Based Alternatives
Based on current evidence,the ultimate goal of a phase-out of virtually all usage of dental mercury is recommended. This phase-out must be planned and deliberate, assuring continued emphasis on adequate restorations to prevent continued tooth decay and the potential of malnutrition in economically impoverished areas. moreApril 1, 2012
Health Care Research Collaborative
Health Care Research Collaborative
Creating a Culture of Sustainability
Sustainability seeks to balance and simultaneously optimize environmental, social and financial concerns. Sustainability in healthcare represents a particularly challenging undertaking as it necessarily encompasses the wide variety of facilities, operations and activities in a typical healthcare organization. moreSeptember 2011
Health Care Research Collaborative
Health Care Research Collaborative
Green Cleaning in Healthcare
Green cleaning is a new, promising approach to environmental cleaning that aims at reducing harm to human health and the environment while maintaining or improving the hygiene of the healthcare environ¬ment. 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)
