Stage 6
Striving for Continuous Improvement
In Stage 6, “Striving for Continuous Improvement,” hospitals are encouraged to leverage a continuous improvement approach for sustainable health care. This would be similar to their approaches to enhance the quality of care, patient safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness through programs such as Six Sigma, High-Reliability Organization journey, and Quality Improvement. These programs follow established methodologies focusing on reducing waste, streamlining processes, and improving outcomes.
This stage includes actions which align environmental sustainability with existing improvement programs to drive resilience, innovation, and transparency, contributing to a healthier future.
Stage 1
Recognizing the Benefits of Environmental Sustainability and Resilience
Stage 2
Implementing Business Practices, Organizational Planning and Accountability Structures
Stage 3
Measuring and Reporting Direct and Energy Emissions
Stage 4
Measuring and Reducing Supply Chain Emissions (Scope 3, categories 1 and 2)
Stage 5
Measuring and Reducing Other Emissions
Stage 6
Striving for Continuous Improvement
Stage 1
Recognizing the Benefits of Environmental Sustainability and Resilience
Stage 5
Measuring and Reducing Other Emissions
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Actions
Integrate climate-related factors into key business decisions
- Report annual progress toward Scopes 1-3 greenhouse gas emissions target
- Consider environmental sustainability and climate for decisions regarding strategy, risk management, resilience, finance and capital planning, operations (including supplier management and procurement), organizational structure and talent management, pricing, marketing, and investor and government relations
- Establish an inspection or audit mechanism to ensure accurate internal reporting on metrics.
- As various initiatives are launched to meet sustainability goals, ensure their progress is measured over time, and new processes are reassessed for efficiency
- Include environmental sustainability metrics on leadership dashboards and performance reports
- Report monthly on key metrics such as waste volumes and diversion, energy efficiency, sustainable product procurement, and clinical initiatives such as percentage reduction in the use of harmful anesthetic gases.
- Include greenhouse gas emissions data where available
- Report monthly on key metrics such as waste volumes and diversion, energy efficiency, sustainable product procurement, and clinical initiatives such as percentage reduction in the use of harmful anesthetic gases.
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE)
ASHE Sustainability
Climate Resilience Planning (Practice Greenhealth)
Nurses Climate Challenge
Sustainability Accelerator Tool (Geneva Sustainability Centre)
Sustainability Roadmap for Health Care (American Hospital Association)
Leverage existing programs and resources for continuous improvement
Engage with program leads for existing improvement programs (e.g., quality and safety, High reliability, Lean and Six Sigma) to involve them in opportunities for incorporating sustainability initiatives into improvement programs
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE)
Nurses Climate Challenge
Sustainability Accelerator Tool (Geneva Sustainability Centre)
Continually assess which requirements/voluntary standards can build resilience
- Monitor for energy efficiency gains that lessen dependence on fossil fuels
- Periodically conduct climate risk assessment and scenario analysis that highlight hot spots for acute physical risk to your infrastructure or suppliers
- Review new developments related to opportunities such as The Joint Commission Sustainability Certification
ASHE Sustainability
Sustainable Healthcare Certification (The Joint Commission)
Prioritize and implement initiatives that mitigate evolving risks
Continuously build resiliency based on your climate risk and opportunity assessment
- Examples include implementing improvements such as water conservation/recycling at a facility in a water-stressed area; a renewable energy installation in a region offering government incentives
ASHE Sustainability
Climate Resilience Planning (Practice Greenhealth)
Sustainability Accelerator Tool (Geneva Sustainability Centre)
Sustainability Roadmap for Health Care (American Hospital Association)
Consider joining or leveraging a peer group and/or other associations/entities
- Join the National Academy of Medicine Initiative to Accelerate the National Climate and Health Movement
- Use resources and peers as part of your membership in State hospital associations and the American Hospital Association
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE)
American Hospital Association
ANHE Sign-Up
ASHE Sustainability
Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health
NAM Initiative to Accelerate the National Climate and Health Movement
Nurses Climate Challenge
Planetary Health Alliance
Practice Greenhealth
