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Hospitals are environments for healing but many of the products and materials that come into a hospital may be harmful to patients, staff and those in the community. Some products used in health care may contain or release (during production, use or disposal) carcinogens, reproductive toxins, or other hazardous materials. Many of the chemicals used in products have not been adequately tested for toxicity. Additionally, there are a growing number of disposable products in health care and large amounts of packaging creating significant waste, and a variety of products that are energy or water-… Read More
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Carpet can negatively impact the indoor environment and the employee and patient experience in your facility. Some volatile organic compounds that can be released from the carpet into the indoor air are carcinogens or reproductive and developmental toxicants. Other hazardous chemicals can contaminate indoor dust, resulting in exposures. Workers in carpet manufacturing and recycling facilities can be exposed to carcinogens, asthmagens, and reproductive and developmental toxicants.Choosing healthier recyclable carpet can:Decrease patient, staff, and visitor exposures to harmful chemicals that… Read More
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As a sustainability professional, you can connect your community benefit department with healthy food program implementers in your food service department to help align your organization’s sustainability efforts with community benefit investment opportunities.
Connecting the dots
Collaboration among sustainability staff and community benefit staff can additionally align and amplify “climate co-benefit” initiatives that directly improve public health.
By working together, these departments can share expertise and resources to more effectively — and simultaneously — address environmental and… Read More
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Increasingly institutions are procuring local foods to meet customer demand and to align with organizational goals. While they are robustly engaged in this work, food service operators may not be actively promoting their efforts. A seasonal harvest program can meet their distinct need to do so.
With ready-to-use materials that highlight the foods they buy and intentional messaging that conveys the value of local and seasonal eating, seasonal harvest campaigns can help institutions elevate their work to customers and leadership and increase awareness of the far-reaching impacts of their food… Read More
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The health sector must work collaboratively with health care suppliers to decarbonize the supply chain and build climate resilience for the entire value chain.
“Catalyzing Collective Action to Decarbonize Healthcare: A Roadmap for Health Systems and MedTech Suppliers” was published in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, Accenture, Practice Greenhealth, and Health Care Without Harm. It consolidates feedback from a round table of health systems and their top suppliers, as well as group purchasing organizations, along with findings from additional subject matter experts and secondary research… Read More
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Hospitals are in a unique position to support healthy food access programs that respond to needs in their communities.
Triple win
By tying local food systems development to patient and community health outcomes health care, can achieve its core mission, reduce the cost of health care related to food insecurity, and deepen community relations.
Hospital campuses can be great places to host farmers markets, food pantries, or as a site for distributing community-supported agriculture (CSA) shares.
A growing number of hospitals have their own garden or farm on their grounds that is connected… Read More
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The Destination CleanMed series featured discussions building momentum that culminated in Pittsburgh, May 23-25 for CleanMed 2023. Invite your colleagues, collaborators, and partners to view recordings these free events.
The psychology of climate change as a force for good
March 23, 2023 12:00 PM ET
The mental health impacts of climate change are profoundly felt by those working in health care and beyond. People living in historically underserved communities and people of color feel the effects exponentially and have been leading the environmental justice movement for decades.… Read More
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Hospitals are seen by the community as a place for healing, and as such, can be a key force in community-wide collaborations that address social and environmental determinants of health such as food insecurity.
Through investments in programming and purchasing, hospitals are creating healthy food access for patients, staff, and visitors and simultaneously building healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems for their communities using tactics such as:
Farmers markets and farm stands on hospital campuses to provide easy access to healthy locally grown foods
On-site food gardens and… Read More
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Hospitals have significant buying power as they are often one of the community’s largest consumers. By purchasing food and beverages that have earned trusted third-party certifications for quality and sustainable practices, hospitals can shift the entire food system toward sustainability, without significant cost increases to total food service spending. In many cases, this can be done through collaborative efforts with the health care supply chain and vendors, via tactics including:
Using purchase power to move away from detrimental food production practices like the overuse of… Read More
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Health care institutions throughout the country recognize the urgent need to reduce rates of obesity and chronic illness as well as their associated health care costs.
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) contribute to the increased prevalence of obesity and associated chronic diseases that go along with weight gain. The production, consumption, and waste associated with sugar-sweetened and bottled beverages have numerous negative environmental consequences.
A better option for hydration and quenching thirst is water and in the United States, tap water has been proven to be just as… Read More
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Join Practice Greenhealth
Practice Greenhealth is the health care sector’s go-to source for information, tools, data, resources, and expert technical support on sustainability initiatives that help hospitals and health systems meet their health, financial, and community goals.
Who We Are
Practice Greenhealth is the leading sustainable health care organization, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,500 hospitals and health systems in the United States and Canada. Partnership opportunities include hospitals, health systems, community health organizations, NGOs, nonprofits, government, academic institutions, and the health care value chain.