Senior Administration Officials, Leading Hospital Administrators & Policy Experts Gather With Founding Organizations Health Care Without Harm, The Center for Health Design, & Practice Greenhealth to Discuss the Economic & Environmental Benefits of Greening Hospitals
CONCORD— The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) met earlier this week to facilitate discussions among leaders in healthcare and policy to highlight the Healthier Hospitals Initiative’s (HHI) successful efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of hospitals, lower costs and improve patient health by incorporating sustainability initiatives into their business models. As one of the founding organizations of HHI, The Center for Health Design was represented at the meeting by Debra Levin, EDAC, President and CEO and Jennifer Wilcox, Director of Education.
Over 10 leaders of the health and environmental sectors took part in two panel discussions: “Fostering a Culture of Environmental Sustainability” and “Healthier Hospitals Initiative: Transforming the Supply Chain.” As part of these discussions, officials addressed the impact these efforts have on hospital purchasing decisions, the healthcare supply chain and the overall business of the healthcare sector.
Senior Administration officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge were in attendance. Additionally, several of the nation’s largest health systems participated in the discussions, illustrating the widely recognized benefits of implementing smarter business practices across and beyond the health industry.
“This is an exciting time to be a part of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative,” remarked Debra Levin, EDAC, President and CEO of The Center for Health Design. “Today we witnessed the gathering of many leaders representing an entire sector, participate in an industry-wide movement that is developing the roadmap for how we design, build and operate hospitals that ultimately will improve patient outcomes and workplace safety, prevent illnesses and save billions of dollars. It has also been incredibly rewarding to see the top government agencies participate actively in these discussions.”
To view videos of this event, click here.
About the Healthier Hospitals Initiative
The Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI) is a national campaign to implement a completely new approach to improving environmental health and sustainability in the health care sector. Eleven of the largest, most influential U.S. health systems, comprising approximately 500 hospitals with more than $20 billion in purchasing power, worked with Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), The Center for Health Design and Practice Greenhealth to create HHI as a guide for hospitals to improve sustainability in six key areas: engaged leadership, healthier foods, leaner energy, less waste, safer chemicals, and smarter purchasing. Sponsoring health systems include Advocate Health Care, Bon Secours Health System, Catholic Health Initiatives, Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West), Hospital Corporation of America, Inova Health System, Kaiser Permanente, MedStar Health, Partners HealthCare, Tenet Health Systems and Vanguard Health Systems. More information is available at www.healthierhospitals.org.
About The Center for Health Design
The Center for Health Design (CHD) is a nonprofit organization that engages and supports professionals and organizations in the healthcare, construction, and design industry to improve the quality of healthcare facilities and create new environments for healthy aging. CHD’s mission is to transform healthcare environments for a healthier, safer world through design research, education, and advocacy. For more information, visit www.healthdesign.org.
Media Relations Contact:
Linda P. Franklin
(925) 521-9404 ext. 123
lfranklin [at] healthdesign [dot] org
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