Why Climate-smart Healthcare?
As health professionals, we have a mission to help people live their fullest, most vibrant lives by preventing illness, curing disease, building healthy communities, and above all, to do no harm. But, the health care sector is responsible for 8.5% of US climate and air pollution, causing harm to the populations we serve and worsening health disparities. Along with thousands of health professionals across the nation, we are reimagining health care systems to be engines of environmental sustainability, equity, and health that are, “climate smart”. These climate-smart health care systems commit to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, building hospitals and communities that are resilient to increasingly severe weather patterns, and leading efforts towards a more sustainable, equitable, and healthy future for us all.
Our Committee
Our Climate-smart Health Care Committee meets virtually once a month to advance sustainable healthcare across the state. Our committee goals include educating health system leaders in North Carolina about the importance of measuring their facility’s climate impact. With experience, tools, and resources, we can also support the complex transition to lower low carbon emissions and strengthen sustainability and resilience. It is not just for the good of the environment and our health–it can also help a hospital’s bottom line. Studies show that certain sustainability measures can reduce costs and improve employee recruitment and retention. We work closely with hospital staff and institutional partners to support, celebrate, and accelerate these efforts.
John Lohnes, PA-C, MHS, MEM, CPH Co-Chair
Kathleen Shapley-Quinn, MD Co-Chair
Join us.
Please join in one or more meetings of our health professional committee for a Climate Smart Healthcare meeting. We’ll be discussing ongoing and new efforts to make our NC health systems more sustainable and more resilient in the face of climate change. No prior knowledge required!
We meet the fourth Tuesday of every month at 12pm EST virtually, via Zoom.
“Ultimately, climate-smart healthcare will strengthen health sectors and communities by ensuring access to clean and independent energy, safe water, clean transport, and clean waste disposal mechanisms. . . It will stimulate the development and supply of sustainable products, while also preparing the sector for a future of known and unknown health-related climate hazards.”
— Timothy Bouley, World Bank