Highlights include federal health system decarbonization updates; a novel estimate of U.S. hospital GHG emissions; and new case studies of community health centers leveraging the Inflation Reduction Act to lower operating costs and build resiliency.

November 18, 2024 - (Baku, Azerbaijan) – A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) today announced several recent milestones in ongoing climate resilience and decarbonization efforts across the Department. These efforts help the health sector lower operating costs and build resiliency to ensure hospitals are able to stay open during and after disasters.

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will improve the long-term resilience of America’s health care system. To achieve that goal, we must move public and private sector health care providers towards greater energy efficiency and on-site energy generation.,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “HHS has been helping communities respond to health hazards made worse by climate change – like extreme heat, wildfires, and stronger storms. This effort will help providers better prepare for climate emergencies and lower the health care sector’s significant contribution to our country’s greenhouse gas emissions.”

The HHS delegation shared federal health systems’ progress on decarbonization, released new case studies of health care providers using Inflation Reduction Act funding to install clean energy infrastructure, provided updates on the White House-HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge, announced publication of a new discussion paper in the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) publication NAM Perspectives, and shared progress on ongoing collaboration with the National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom and other nations to provide guidance on national requirements for emissions reporting and target setting from health sector suppliers.

“HHS has made great progress over the past year in building resilience to climate change and reducing health-harming greenhouse gas emissions,” said ADM Rachel Levine, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Health. “We will continue to work domestically and with our international partners to reduce the health sector’s contribution to climate change and protect the health and well-being of those most vulnerable to climate-related impacts. These efforts are good for communities, good for business, and good for public health.”

As climate change continues to threaten the safety of our communities and our health care system, agencies across HHS are working together to make progress on a series of actions outlined in the HHS Climate Change and Health Equity Strategy Supplement - PDF, which was released last year at the first-ever Health Day at COP28, as well as the Initiative on Protecting Farmworkers from Extreme Heat and Wildfire Smoke launched in March 2024. One of the most significant accomplishments from the Initiative is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) draft Hazard Review on Wildland Fire Smoke Exposure Among Farmworkers and Other Outdoor Workers, which is currently open for public comment. This draft Hazard Review provides an extensive review of the scientific literature and proposes recommendations to mitigate risk and protect the health and safety of outdoor workers. Hazard Reviews are a key step in establishing NIOSH recommendations that may inform future Department of Labor regulations.

“The hurricanes and heat waves we saw this summer and fall have shown us we have to do more to protect our people and the health systems that care for them,” said Dr. John Balbus, director of the HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity. “The Office of Climate Change and Health Equity is working across the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure our programs do all they can to protect those facing the greatest risks. These efforts help health systems save on operating costs, increase the resources available to them, and allow them to invest more on care.”

The HHS delegation provided updates on the collaborative work of multiple federal health systems—including the Indian Health Service, the Veterans Health Administration, the Defense Health Agency, and the Bureau of Prisons Health Services Division—to meet the resilience and decarbonization goals set by President Biden in Executive Order 14057. Facilitated by OCCHE, every federal health system has announced joint work to pursue emissions reductions associated with clinical care, such as those from anesthetic gases, certain types of inhalers, and medical waste produced in healthcare processes. Additional updates on clinical decarbonization efforts from the federal health systems include:

• The Veterans Health Administration has announced the removal of the anesthetic gas desflurane, a potent greenhouse gas, from its formulary across the VA health system, and the Indian Health Service has committed to do the same. The Veterans Health Administration and Indian Health Service have also committed to addressing emissions associated with nitrous oxide, piloting the transition from a central supply of nitrous oxide to a portable supply system in select health care facilities pending a detailed analysis of the current state, with the aim of serving as a roadmap for remaining facilities.
• The Bureau of Prisons, Indian Health Service, and Veterans Health Administration are exploring opportunities to reduce emissions related to metered-dose inhalers (through, for example, reducing unnecessary prescriptions and prescribing clinically equivalent lower carbon alternatives when possible).
• The Veterans Health Administration has also required that all hospitals in the VA health system appoint a Facility Sustainability Officer reporting to hospital administration.

HHS also works closely with private sector organizations to help inform and facilitate investments in climate resilient, energy efficient, and renewable energy projects. OCCHE leads a Catalytic Program on Utilizing the Inflation Reduction Act that includes written resources, webinars, and case studies on how health care providers leverage the most significant climate legislation in American history to cut costs and provide better care over the long term.

Today, OCCHE is proud to announce two new case studies on how Federally Qualified Community Health Centers are using the Inflation Reduction Act’s Investment Tax Credit to invest in solar power and save on energy bills.

• Family Health Centers, located in rural Okanogan County in north-central Washington State, is using the Investment Tax Credit to invest in a solar array and a 160 kilowatt/312 kilowatt-hour battery. The solar microgrid will allow Family Health Centers to continue providing critical medical, dental, and pharmaceutical services during power outages.
• La Clínica de La Raza is installing a solar array on the rooftop of its health care facility in Vallejo, California. The system is anticipated to produce 64,663 kilowatt-hours in the first year of operation, which will result in an estimated $14,000 saved on energy bills per year.

Organizations committed to emissions reduction and resilience are invited to sign the White House-HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge, a voluntary commitment that includes cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. As of November 1, 143 health care organizations representing more than 960 private sector hospitals have signed the pledge.

HHS efforts help to reduce waste in health care, which helps health systems, people, and insurance companies at the same time. These cost saving measures have added a growing movement to build resiliency and reduce emissions across the health sector. This was supported by a NAM Perspectives discussion paper published today estimating that 29% of U.S. hospitals are either required to or voluntarily committed to report facility-level emissions. This includes the more than 15% of U.S. hospitals that have voluntarily committed to publicly report their emissions by signing the White House-HHS Health Sector Pledge. It is the first known effort to estimate the extent of public emissions disclosures among U.S. hospitals.

The HHS delegation shared updates on HHS collaboration with NHS England and other countries to document overlaps in national procurement standards for health sector suppliers, particularly with respect to carbon emissions disclosures and target setting. With many organizations now recognizing the critical importance of building a sustainable supply chain, an increasing number of health systems around the world are working together to acknowledge the large contribution of the supply chain to their overall emissions while trying to streamline supplier requirements. The full group at work on this includes the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, Health Service Executive Ireland, and the Norwegian Hospital Procurement Trust. Other nations’ health systems, including Germany’s, are now joining discussions on this collaborative effort.

In 2021, HHS joined the COP26 Health Program and committed to supporting the development of a climate resilient and low-carbon health sector. In the three years that have followed, HHS has taken action by offering numerous funding opportunities, initiatives, and resources to support health sector organizations working to address climate challenges and protect the health of people living in the U.S. from climate change.
Source: HHS