HHS Collaborates with Federal Health Systems and Private Sector on Climate Resilience and Decarbonization

According to a Nov. 18 press release, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) announced several recent achievements in ongoing climate resilience and decarbonization efforts across the Department. The efforts aim to help the health sector lower operating costs and build resiliency to ensure hospitals are able to stay open during and after disasters.

The press release said, “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.”

Further, “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, 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.

Other 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 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 also announced 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.