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The American Hospital Association’s vision is of a society of healthy communities where all individuals reach their highest potential for health. To carry out this vision, the AHA seeks to advance the health of individuals and communities by providing education to healthcare leaders and serving as a source of information on healthcare issues and trends, such as the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPAA), etc.
The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association (AHA) is dedicated to optimizing the healthcare physical environment. For more than 50 years, ASHE of the AHA has been the advocate and resource for continuous improvement in healthcare engineering and facilities management. ASHE addresses a broad spectrum of issues relating to the healthcare industry and the facilities management profession.
ASHE has launched a two-year campaign, the Energy Efficiency Commitment (E2C) initiative, to educate its members about the environmental and economic benefits of pursuing energy efficiency improvements in healthcare facilities. To learn more, visit ASHE2C .
EnviRN is dedicated to supporting nursing professionals seeking accurate, timely and credible scientific information on environmental health and nursing. This interactive resource seeks to foster the development of a “virtual nursing village” for the sharing of teaching strategies, practice guidance and consensus on future research needs for nursing and environmental health. The ultimate goal is to prevent environmental disease by increasing the numbers of nursing professionals who can recognize environmental etiologies and risk factors of disease, promote health through risk reduction and control strategies and empower individuals, families and communities by through partnering, advocacy and education.
The Green Care Centers Association (GCCA) represents the growing number of health care centers that are committed to the betterment of the environment. Members include long term care facilities, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, clinics, and adult day care centers. GCCA advances health care by providing its members with the resources, education, and encouragement needed to foster a greener facility. GCCA also provides information on lowering energy costs and other incentives. GCCA members are shining examples of what can be done regardless of budget to better the environment within and beyond the confines of their local community.
Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of hospitals and health care systems, medical professionals, and other community groups working to improve the ecological stability of the healthcare industry. The Web site includes information on mercury, PVC, and incineration and contains a searchable document library.
Practice Greenhealth is a new nonprofit member based organization that combines and builds upon three powerful initiatives to improve the environmental performance of the health care sector. H2E has joined forces with the Green Guide for Health Care, the premier green building and operations tool for health care facilities; and the Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange, a program to reduce energy costs and health care’s carbon footprint. This new combined organization will offer its members a full range of tools, resources, forums, technical assistance, and networking opportunities to engage the healthcare design, construction and operations sectors in creating safe, healthy healthcare environments.
The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 17,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. The Web site provides information about healthcare organizations, the standards used in the accreditation process, how the process works, and other publication and references for administrators and consumers.
The Sustainable Hospitals Project (SHP) provides technical support to the healthcare industry in the selection of products and work practices that eliminate or reduce occupational and environmental hazards, maintain quality patient care, and contain costs. SHP is a project of The Lowell Center for Sustainable Production. The Center draws on the resources and expertise of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, including the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) and the Department of Work Environment.