Frankly CSR

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) recently announced the formation of a new nonprofit member-based organization focused on improving the environmental performance of the healthcare industry.  H2E is joining two other organizations, the Green Guide for Health Care and the Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange, to deliver a wide range of services intended to create “healthy healthcare environments.”   

It’s great to see these types of efforts.  While hospitals and healthcare systems are widely recognized as being leaders in the area of social responsibility due to their charity care, community outreach, etc., they have not been nearly as progressive in the area of environmental sustainability.  The reality is delivering patient care involves a lot of hazardous materials, produces a lot of waste and consumes a lot of energy, all of which can be detrimental to the environment. Given that, I think industry-based organizations, like H2E, can have a greater influence on the environmental sustainability of healthcare providers than the government or other broad-based sustainability groups.  

One of Lawson’s customers, Portland, Ore.-based Legacy Health System, is a leader in the area of environmental sustainability.  Legacy has received numerous environmental awards from H2E over the years.  At the Lawson Executive Forum last March, a leader from Legacy presented his organization’s CSR programs. I was very impressed. One of the programs that really caught my attention requires that all new building construction and remodeling meet strict “green” building standards.  I encourage you to visit Legacy’s Web site for some more examples of its environmental programs. 

Jeff