Make the Case for HHI

Often with any initiative, taking the first step is the hardest one.  That is because there must be a compelling answer to two questions: Why should I care and what is in it for me?  Fortunately, there are multitudes of compelling answers to these questions as they relate to environmental sustainability in the healthcare setting.

The healthcare industry is filled with compassionate people who work extremely hard to make a difference by promoting personal health and the health of the communities they serve.  It is for this reason that working in healthcare is often seen as a calling rather than a job.  Given the increasingly evident scientific links between the environment and health, caring for the health of the environment is a fast-becoming a natural extension of caring for the health of patients. 

Beyond the health imperative, the current state of healthcare costs calls for improved stewardship of our resources.  One of the fundamental values inherent in sustainability is stewardship of resources, which refers not only to energy and water resources, but also to financial resources.  Hospitals that are actively engaged in sustainability initiatives are realizing significant costs savings, in addition to reduced environmental impacts.  As an added benefit, sustainability has also been linked to increased employee satisfaction and improved community leadership.

But effecting broad-reaching change requires reaching critical mass within this movement.  HHI aims to provide the mechanism for achieving this.  The Healthier Hospitals Initiative is a new, redefined framework for healthcare leadership – a collaborative effort of leading healthcare systems across the country that have joined together to help drive the healthcare industry towards environmental sustainability.  It aims to use data-driven information to help drive industry transformation.  By joining HHI, hospitals have access to a wealth of tools and can become part of the movement to make a meaningful change to the future of healthcare sustainability.

The Healthier Hospitals Initiative is helping guide the way to a new paradigm of health, one that is leading communities to a healthier future!

Use the following resources to Make the Case for HHI