The latest on sustainable healthcare

Friday 30 September 2022

GGHH News

Welcome to our new GGHH Pacific members!

We’re delighted to welcome the following health institutions as members of the Global Green & Healthy Hospital (GGHH) network:

Wolper Jewish Hospital
Lakeview Private Hospital
Central Highlands Rural Health
Western District Health Service

The GGHH Pacific network now has 130 members! Together, we represent 2,226+ hospitals and health services across Australia and New Zealand. It’s wonderful to see more health institutions committed to tackling their environmental footprint.

Not part of the network? Find out more on our website.

GGHH reaches 1,600 global members!

GGHH is proud to celebrate its 1600th member! GGHH spans across every continent, with members in 78 countries and over 60,000 hospitals. Together, we're helping to raise the profile of sustainable healthcare as one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century.

20 tickets left! Greening the Healthcare Sector Forum

One week left until our annual sustainable healthcare forum! Join us in Newcastle NSW, or online, next Friday.

There's only 20 spots left for in-person attendees. In-person tickets sales close Mon 3 October. Buy your ticket now.

Here's the full program.

New GGHH website

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the new GGHH website. With cutting edge features and an updated modern design, the site will propel GGHH into the future. We welcome our GGHH members and the wider healthcare community to visit the new site.

GGHH case studies from around the world

Reducing the environmental impact of anaesthesia at Fiona Stanley Hospital - Perth, Australia

In early 2020, a small group of consultant anaesthetists at Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group led an education campaign to highlight the greenhouse gas contribution of desflurane, with the aim of changing practice through consensus within the department. Eliminating desflurane in 2020 has resulted in a CO2e reduction from 34,554 kg per month to zero. Read more

Williamnagar Civil Hospital progresses with solar - Meghalaya, India

The only hospital in its district, Williamnagar Civil Hospital faced constant power disruptions. To ensure a steady supply of green energy, the hospital installed solar panels and a battery which could store up to two days of energy. These initiatives have helped the hospital secure its power supply and provide a high quality of care to its patients. Read more on GGHH connect

Vegetable garden at Pholosong Hospital - Johannesburg, South Africa

The new vegetable garden at Pholosong Hospital helps the therapeutic rehabilitation of patients, supplies fruits and vegetables to the kitchen, promotes healthy eating, and helps some patients to learn new skills. Read more on GGHH connect

Green travel agreement for Lanspitali Hospital employees - Landspitali, Iceland

Landspitali Hospital offered employees a green travel agreement to commute on more eco-friendly modes of transportation. Employees were financially rewarded if they commuted via sustainable methods for 60% of their trips. The hospital also installed extra bike racks at 25 hospital entrances. Read more on GGHH connect

Sustainable Healthcare News

'On climate and health, how are territory, state and federal governments shaping up?'

CAHA founder Fiona Armstrong wrote an article for Croakey summarising Australian jurisdictions' action on climate and health, and an overview of the second Australian Health Leadership Roundtable on Climate Action. Read more

Successful trial for sustainable gas and air healthcare technology

A pilot project at a UK hospital has successfully turned exhaled nitrous oxide into simple and harmless nitrogen and oxygen. Read more

Abstracts open for TRA2SHCon22

The annual conference for TRA2SH (Trainee-Led Research and Audit in Anaesthesia for Sustainable Health) is being held online on Saturday 19 November. Call for abstracts now open.

Building sustainable healthcare centres

This article deals with how budget constraints, net-zero commitments, and the wellbeing of staff and patients can be considered and managed in designing sustainable healthcare. Read more

NSW Health Website – Climate Risk & Net Zero

The NSW Health Climate Risk & Net Zero site is now live and accessible. The website contains practical information and resources to support the transition to a modern, low carbon health system. Read more

Education and Events

European Healthcare Climate Summit

Online on 13 October 2022, 10pm-1am AEDT

Organised by HCWH Europe and supported by NHS Scotland and the Scottish government, this climate-health summit will examine climate-smart healthcare in practice across Europe. Expect tangible and replicable examples! More info

VicHealth Space Invaders Conference

Melbourne / online on 30 Nov-1 Dec 2022

The Space Invaders conference by VicHealth will explore how business can harm health and what can be done about it. Presentations and workshops will cover topics from harmful marketing, diverse perspectives, managing conflict, success stories, and more. More info

Green Hospitals Asian Conference

Kalapet, India on 1-3 Feb 2023

The next Green Hospitals Asian Conference will cover healthcare climate leadership, low-carbon and resilient healthcare, waste management, green procurement, among other interesting and important topics. More info

Australasian Nutrition in Health Conference

Melbourne on 17-19 Feb 2023

Doctors for Nutrition invite you to their 2023 conference in Melbourne. More info

Some of the biggest names in whole food plant-based nutrition and healthcare will share their research, including:

Prof Boyd Swinburn, Population Nutrition & Global Health at the University of Auckland, on how the health effects of climate change will compound current nutrition challenges
Dr Peter Johnston, dietitian, talking about food systems and the environment.

Research, Resources and Reports

Research

Greenhouse gas reduction in anaesthesia practice: a departmental environmental strategy
BMJ Open, Jul 2022

This paper assessed and evaluated the impact of sustainability interventions on the environmental and financial cost of inhaled anaesthetic gas use. Read more

Achieving sustainable healthcare through deprescribing of unnecessary medications
Cochrane Library, Jul 2022

This Cochrane special collection provides an overview of Cochrane Reviews which summarise benefits and harms of deprescribing specific medications. Read more

Sustainable kidney care delivery and climate change – a call to action
Globalization & Health, Aug 2022

Kidney care, especially haemodialysis, uses lots of power and water. This article details how to minimise the environmental footprint of kidney care. Read more

Cutting down vitamin D tests could help lower carbon cost of healthcare
BMJ Open, Aug 2022

This article explores the environmental and economic impact of unnecessary Vitamin D testing in Australia. Read more

Resources

Webinar | GGHH Sustainable procurement checklist launch

GGHH members can access a webinar recording about the new Sustainable Procurement Checklist. Watch here on GGHH connect

Webinar | Healthcare Without Harm Grand round series

A series of webinar recordings related to climate-smart, net zero healthcare are now available. Watch here

Reports

Feeling the Heat: How healthcare providers can meet the climate challenge
Marsh McLennan, Jul 2022

This report provides information and resources on how health care facilities can become more sustainable and be prepared for future climate risks. Read more

Creating better health for people, the planet and animals: Food system insights for health professionals
Global Alliance for the Future of Food, Jul 2022

This report aims to stimulate discussion about critical issues related to food systems transformation, and includes global case studies. Read more

Deeble Issues Brief No. 48: Decarbonising clinical care in Australia
Deeble Institute, Aug 2022

This brief covers decarbonising clinical care in Australia and highlights the current gaps in understanding of the healthcare sector’s contribution to Australia’s carbon footprint. Read more

Indigenous Nation Building and the Political Determinants of Health and Wellbeing
Lowitja Institute, Aug 2022

This discussion paper demonstrates that self-governance and self-determination through nation building results in improved health outcomes for Indigenous peoples. Read more

Designing a net zero roadmap for healthcare: Technical methodology and guidance
Health Care Without Harm, Aug 2022

This new publication supports national or regional health authorities to measure its healthcare emissions and develop a Paris-compatible decarbonisation roadmap. Read more

Thanks for reading!

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This newsletter is brought to you by the Climate and Health Alliance, Australia’s peak body on climate and health. CAHA’s mission is to build a powerful health sector movement for climate action. To do this, we run a number of campaigns and programs alongside our sustainable healthcare program, like:

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