Scientific consensus shows climate change is already damaging human health and health care delivery and will have a greater impact in the future. Health care is at the front line of climate change, bearing the costs of increased diseases and more frequent extreme weather events.
Hospitals and health systems are addressing health threats posed by climate change and air pollution, in alignment with their missions to heal. Many are doing so by implementing business-smart initiatives that also protect their communities from climate change by:
- Reducing the carbon footprint of hospital operations.
- Preparing facilities for climate impacts and helping to build community resilience so people can get the health care they need during extreme weather events.
- Using their trusted voices to educate patients, staff, and communities on the connections between climate change and human health.
Practice Greenhealth has developed climate and health tools and resources to help members set goals and implement strategies to reduce their climate impacts, ensure continuity of care in extreme weather events, and protect community health and well-being.
Health Care Without Harm’s Climate and Health program supports the health care sector in reducing its carbon footprint, building climate-smart and resilient hospitals and communities, and mobilizing health care’s influence to advance the transition to a low-carbon future.
The Health Care Climate Challenge mobilizes health care institutions around the globe to protect public health from climate change. Sign the Health Care Climate Challenge pledge and join the climate-smart health care movement.
Established by Health Care Without Harm, the Health Care Climate Council is a leadership network of U.S. hospitals committed to strengthening the health sector’s response to climate change.
The Environmental Excellence Awards are the nation’s premier recognition program for environmental performance in the health care sector. The Circle of Excellence Awards celebrate hospitals who have not only earned an award for all around sustainability achievement, but who have also been identified as the top scoring programs for each category of sustainability.
The Climate Circle highlights visionary hospitals taking the lead on tracking and measurement of CO2 emissions, and overall climate program development. Hospitals in this Circle demonstrate an understanding of the health impacts of climate change and are taking action to mitigate those impacts and educate their staff and communities on playing a supporting role.
Honorees
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston Medical Center*
Cleveland Clinic*
Hackensack Meridian Palisades Medical Center
Harborview Medical Center*
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center*
Providence St. Patrick Hospital
Regions Hospital*
Seattle Children’s*
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
VHA 12 Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center (Milwaukee, WI)*
*also a Top 25 honoree