By Healthcare Facilities Today

Vermont is the first state to commit to enrolling all of its hospitals in the Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI), a collaborative of leading health care institutions united to speed the health care sector toward environmental sustainability, according to an announcement by the HHI, Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (VAHHS) and Efficiency Vermont.

Two Vermont hospitals, Fletcher Allen Health Care and Central Vermont Medical Center, are already HHI members and leaders in implementing sustainability initiatives, according to an article on the Digital Journal website.

All Vermont hospitals are making strong efforts to reduce their energy use by working with Efficiency Vermont, the article said. Projects being pursued include the development of Strategic Energy Management Plans (SEMP), tracking building data in Energy Star Portfolio Manager, and the implementation of significant energy efficiency improvements. 

"It is inspiring that the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems and Efficiency Vermont have fully engaged all of the hospitals in their state, driving them toward HHI’s resources and proven strategies," the article quoted Gary Cohen, president of Health Care Without Harm and Founder of HHI, as saying. "The collective experiences of our health care community show that this is both a sound business decision and the right thing to do for improved public health and reduced environmental impact."

HHI was launched by thirteen hospital systems — Advocate Health Care, Bon Secours Health System, Catholic Health Initiatives, Dignity Health, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Inova Health System, Kaiser Permanente, MedStar Health, Partners HealthCare, Stanford University Medical Center, Tenet Health Systems and Vanguard Health Systems — along with Practice Greenhealth, Health Care Without Harm and the Center for Health Design, in May 2010.

Read the article.