Health care must help fight climate change | Opinion

Brutal heat waves in the Pacific Northwest have killed hundreds this summer. Wildfires that raged in California sent scores to emergency rooms and may be causing higher rates of premature births. Hurricane Ida ravaged New Jersey and other states, leaving 71 dead and President Joe Biden lamenting a world “in peril’’ as he surveyed the damage in the region last week.

It’s time for the healthcare industry, with its mission to heal, to play a major role in fighting climate change. If we are committed to keeping our communities healthy, enhancing people’s quality of life and delivering more value in health care, we must embrace bold and innovative strategies to create a healthier planet.

Let’s start with a paradox: Hospital emergency rooms report 1.3 million visits annually to treat asthma throughout the nation, yet the healthcare industry is one of the biggest culprits in climate change. The industry in the U.S. produces about 8.5% of the nation’s total annual carbon emissions. This includes hospitals, health systems, pharmaceutical companies, doctor’s offices and others.

That’s why our network is stepping up to reduce its environmental footprint.  Hackensack Meridian Health, a 17-hospital system, has several strategies underway to create more energy efficient campuses, including partnering with New Jersey utility companies through the Hospital Efficiency Program which has resulted in an investment of nearly $90 million. Energy-efficient cooling and heating systems, air handling units and other major equipment have replaced antiquated systems. The efforts, started in 2011, have reduced energy consumption by 30% on average.

The network has also reduced meat consumption by more than 21% at hospitals throughout the system. Plant-based diets are better for patients and the environment. If Americans skipped meat just one day a week, it would have the same carbon savings as taking 19 million cars off the road for a year. Hackensack Meridian is the largest health system in the nation to join the Cool Food Pledge, founded by the World Resources Institute to help organizations reduce their climate impact by promoting more plant-based foods. Winners on our menu? Buffalo cauliflower bites and falafel hash. 

I am proud that some of our hospitals are being recognized nationally for these efforts.  Practice Greenhealth, a leading national organization that advises healthcare organizations on sustainability initiatives,  included two network hospitals on the 2020 Top 25 Environmental Excellence Award: Hackensack University Medical Center for sustainable food purchasing and Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for reducing meat consumption. 

Thankfully, we’re not alone in trying to pursue a lighter footprint. The UCLA Medical Center in California now transports patients and employees with an all-electric bus system. The  VA Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania. reduced water use by 50% through innovative water conservation strategies. And last year, Kaiser Permanente in California became the first health care system in the nation to achieve a carbon-neutral status.

Keep in mind that climate change impacts many areas of health: asthma, allergies, mental health and even cardiovascular and kidney health. More than 150 million Americans, including 75 million people of color, live with unhealthy air, according to the American Lung Association. Higher temperatures that come with climate change also promote more ground-level ozone pollution. Ozone is a powerful lung irritant and can trigger asthma attacks.

In California’s Stanford Health Care system, a month after wildfires filled the air with toxins this year, hospitals reported an increase in admissions, including a 43% increase in cerebrovascular conditions such as strokes. Stanford researchers expected an uptick in respiratory illness, but were surprised by the dramatic increase in cerebrovascular conditions, which are likely related to inflammation brought on by pollution, the researchers reported. 

This is why Biden created the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity in the Department of Health and Human Services. The goal is for scientists to gain a better understanding of the impacts of climate change on human health — especially those that disproportionately affect low-income communities. 

In the industry today, incorporating a smaller carbon footprint can be part of a robust and comprehensive strategy to improve public health. Medicine is moving far beyond the walls of hospitals and physician offices. There’s an increased focus on prevention and getting to the root cause of illness, a more holistic approach to healthcare that will lead to improved outcomes, especially in the management of chronic, debilitating and costly diseases like diabetes, asthma and cardiovascular disease.

The images of Armageddon in just the last few weeks should remind all of us that we need to act with a sense of urgency. As many as 60% of Americans say they see the effects of climate change in their own communities, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. And nearly two-thirds of Americans say the federal government isn’t doing enough to reduce the effects of climate change.

This fight to save our planet will require all hands on deck — the government, industry and individuals to commit to living greener. For those of us committed to healing and preventing illness, we must be part of the solution. 

Robert C. Garrett is CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s largest health network with 17 hospitals and more than 500 patient care locations.