Implications for the Health Care Industry and Health Care Providers: "Think Globally, Act Locally"
The health care industry employs one out of eight Americans and is responsible for 15% of the gross domestic product (Jackson & Shields, 2008). The health care industry ranks second in energy usage intensity among all commercial buildings in the United States (Jackson & Shields, 2008).
Due to the sheer magnitude of the health care system in the United States, if all health professionals begin to make small changes in their professional and personal life, there is the potential for huge effects.
It is time for health professionals to see and act on the interconnectedness between our behavioral choices and the resulting health effects (Schwartz, Parker, Glass, & Hu, 2006). By doing so, health professionals will protect their own health as well as the health of future generations.
Opportunities for Action
What the health care industry can do:
Many health care facilities operate around the clock, 365 days a year. The health care industry spends $5.3 billion on energy each year (HCWH). Health Care Without Harm and Practice GreenHealth propose the following multi-faceted approach to mitigating the effects of climate change.
- Transportation
- Health care facilities rely on transportation systems to move patients, workers, supplies, and waste. By evaluating their processes and minimizing transportation, health care facilities can significantly mitigate the effects of climate change.
- For example:
- Support carpooling and the use of mass transportation
- Choose local suppliers when able
- For example:
- Health care facilities rely on transportation systems to move patients, workers, supplies, and waste. By evaluating their processes and minimizing transportation, health care facilities can significantly mitigate the effects of climate change.
- Energy-Operations
- The large amount of energy consumed by heath care facilities contributes greatly to greenhouse gas emissions. By conserving energy, facilities can reduce greenhouse emissions and save money. By reducing energy use, outdoor air quality will improve through the lowering of particulate and toxic chemical emissions.
- For Example:
- Make buildings more energy efficient by upgrading equipment
- Replace incandescent light bulbs when possible
- Install occupancy sensor switches
- Adjust thermostats slightly to reduce energy consumption
- For Example:
- The large amount of energy consumed by heath care facilities contributes greatly to greenhouse gas emissions. By conserving energy, facilities can reduce greenhouse emissions and save money. By reducing energy use, outdoor air quality will improve through the lowering of particulate and toxic chemical emissions.
- Energy - The Built Environment
- By incorporating sustainability into design and construction, health care facilities can reduce their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
- For Example:
- Incorporate green building principles
- Consider overall transportation and offset emissions impacts of building materials.
- Use native vegetation and plant trees on site to decrease ground-level ozone formation which can lead to respiratory symptoms and illness; native plants require less water
- For Example:
- By incorporating sustainability into design and construction, health care facilities can reduce their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Waste
- Waste disposal contributes to greenhouse gas emissions through its transportation and end disposition. Health care facilities can decrease their greenhouse gas contribution by:
- Recycling and buying recycled products
- Disposing waste locally
- Preventing waste
- Diverting construction waste
- Waste disposal contributes to greenhouse gas emissions through its transportation and end disposition. Health care facilities can decrease their greenhouse gas contribution by:
- Food Service
- In the United States, food travels from 1,500 to 2,400 miles from farm to plate, increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Hospitals can mitigate the impacts of the food systems on climate change by:
- Purchasing local and seasonal foods
- Purchasing organic foods
- Composting food wastes
- Reducing the amount of meat protein offered
- In the United States, food travels from 1,500 to 2,400 miles from farm to plate, increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Hospitals can mitigate the impacts of the food systems on climate change by:
What Health Care Providers Can Do:
- Educate themselves, their clients, patients and their communities
- Nurses, in particular, can positively affect the growing concern related to climate change because nurses are viewed as educators, role models and health care advocates (Condon & Welker-Hood, 2007).
- Health care providers need to begin educating patients and clients on how the changing climate will affect their health.
- Heat Waves: Heat waves can increase the likelihood of heat stress due to high temperatures and humidity.
- Air Pollution: Air pollution and air borne allergens may increase in certain locations as a result of climate change which may exacerbate respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and bronchitis.
- Extreme Weather Events: The increased occurrence of tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and droughts may cause increased disease outbreaks due to food, water and vector-borne diseases.
- Health care providers need to inform, educate and empower workers and administrators in their workplace about how climate change can affect employees and the public.
- Health care providers are encouraged to counsel their clients on incorporating sustainable behaviors as part of routine visits or interactions.
- Behavior Changes
- Personal Changes
- Individuals can decrease their own contribution to climate change by incorporating the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” motto in their own lives.
- See the Educate Your Clients and Yourself section on ways to reduce your personal impact on climate change.
- Patient Changes/Education
- Health care providers should encourage patients, clients and/or community members to decrease their personal contribution to climate change.
- Personal Changes
- Develop Emergency Preparedness Plans (Blashki, et al., 2007)
- Health care providers can work with policy makers to develop emergency preparedness plans and implement them across a variety of settings, such as:
- Hospitals
- Local health departments
- State government
- Federal government
- Plans should include preparation for:
- Heat waves
- Wild fires
- Coastal surges
- Vector and/or water borne diseases monitoring
- After-effects/follow-up after disasters
- Health care providers can work with policy makers to develop emergency preparedness plans and implement them across a variety of settings, such as:
- Role of Professional Organizations
- Professional organizations should incorporate strategies for education related to illnesses associated with climate change
- Professional organizations can be leaders in engaging health care providers in the effort to respond to global climate change.
- Professional organizations can encourage their members to consider ways to live sustainably by providing them with evidence-based information and recommendations.
- Professional organizations can play an important advocacy role for policy and regulatory action, such as product labeling. Labels that include information about greenhouse gas emissions (both in production and use) and other environmental impacts can greatly impact consumer choice.
- Professional organizations should incorporate strategies for education related to illnesses associated with climate change
