The Value of Sound Environmental Practices in Healthcare Facilities Management

The time has come for healthcare organizations to improve their efforts regarding their impact on the environment, particularly on the communities they serve. For years, healthcare has been at the forefront in addressing social needs with public health initiatives but has lagged on environmental concerns. By carefully reviewing their energy usage and aging infrastructures, healthcare leaders and their facility managers can do a better job of controlling healthcare's environmental impact. Green practices are key indicators of an organization's ethically focused sustainability efforts. So, while healthcare has traditionally focused on its social impact-providing healthcare services is, after all, inherently social-it must expand its community engagement by considering the environmental impact of hospitals and health systems on their communities in the context of climate change.