The Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI), a coalition of major health systems and organizations committed to improving sustainability and safety across the healthcare sector, has created the Healthier Hospitals Agenda to chart a path to a healthier, more sustainable and more cost effective healthcare system. HHI is partnering with Health Care Without Harm, Practice Greenhealth, and The Center for Health Design to provide expertise and technical assistance and to develop and implement training and other programs to help hospitals carry out the HHI agenda recommendations.

The Healthier Hospitals Agenda is based on the premise that a coordinated sector-wide approach to how we design, build and operate hospitals can improve patient outcomes and workplace safety, prevent illnesses, create extraordinary environmental benefits, and save billions of dollars. The Agenda utilizes evidence-based design and research data on environmental sustainability and community health to delineate a prioritized roadmap; it is a method for moving from good ideas implemented by individual facilities to a comprehensive system and sector-wide adoption of sustainable practices and cost reduction.

In the last several years, studies have provided evidence of a strong linkage between the environment and health. Environmental hazards, pollution and emissions may be partially responsible for the nation's epidemic of chronic diseases that require lifetime treatments and consumes approximately 75 percent of all health care expenditures. Engaging in sustainable health care is a responsible and effective way to protect the health of patients, staff and the community.

The HHI Agenda for Sustainable Health Care

• Improve Environmental Health and Patient Safety

  Engage in Environmentally Preferred Purchasing, reduce chemical use, actively seek alternative sustainable products, engage in green building, and purchase and serve healthy food and foods made in sustainable ways.

• Reduce Health Care's Use of Natural Resources and Generation of Waste

  Reduce consumption of energy, water, and raw materials and minimize waste. Engage in inventory management, waste management and recycling programs; transition to renewable energy sources; eliminate incineration; and improve transportation strategies.

• Institutionalize Sustainability and Safety

  Make sustainability principles an organizational priority with CEO-level support. Integrate into all areas of the organization and its activities, internally and externally through leadership, education, and accountability and engagement in public policy and community education. Encourage and incorporate sustainability as an essential element in the culture of the organization.