New Joint Commission sustainability certification can help your strategy, culture and cost savings bloom
January will mark one year since the Joint Commission established its two-year voluntary Sustainable Health Certification (SHC) Program, which provides a framework to help organizations continue or expand their decarbonization efforts and to receive public recognition of their achievements in contributing to environmental sustainability.
The new certification was launched at the urging of medical professionals across the country due to their concerns about the increasing scale, frequency and intensity of humanitarian emergencies such as heatwaves, wildfires, floods and hurricanes. Equally concerning is the price of direct damage: Excluding costs from health-determining sectors such as agriculture and water and sanitation, the monetary impact of climate emergencies is estimated to reach $2-4 billion per year by 2030.
A recent national survey of 1,001 clinicians revealed that roughly 4 in 5 medical professionals believe it’s important for their hospital to address climate change and that doing so is aligned with the mission of their organization. Still, belief isn’t the same as action — which is exactly what the SHC certification is designed to address.
In addition to recognizing institutions that excel in the program’s three standards — leadership, measurement and performance improvement — SHC also provides resources to organizations that are new to sustainability and guides them in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, assessing and measuring improvements, and gaining leadership support and oversight. Additionally, the certification touts benefits including cost savings, improved health outcomes, and enhanced reputation and community engagement.
One health system that has fully embraced the new Joint Commission certification as a means to expand its already robust approach to environmental sustainability is California-based Valley Children’s Healthcare, which in 2023 won the Vizient Environmentally Preferred Sourcing Excellence Award in the children’s cohort category.
“We look at the Joint Commission standards and the certification itself as a performance improvement journey,” said Tina Costello, director of organizational project management at Valley Children’s Healthcare. “The certification aligns with our organizational strategy, and it provided the parameters we needed to align our sustainability efforts under one structure.”
Here’s a look at Valley Children’s top considerations as they embarked on the certification process …
Start with your strategy and understand how certification can augment it
In 2022, Valley Children’s Healthcare centered its sustainability efforts around three elements: natural gas, purchased electricity and waste. Joint Commission certification requires 24 months of data that shows a decrease in at least three types of GHG emissions, including energy use (fuel combustion); purchased electricity (purchased grid electricity, district steam, chilled and hot water); anesthetic gas use (including volatile agents and nitrous oxide); pressurized metered-dose inhaler use; fleet vehicle carbon-based fuel use (from organization owned vehicles); and waste disposal.
The requirement was a roadmap of sorts to identify opportunities for Valley Children’s to further align the three pillars of its sustainability strategy — and simultaneously pinpoint ways to improve in those areas. In waste reduction, for example, the system doubled down on its recycling and composting initiatives and used the Vizient Environmental Sustainability sourcing rating to benchmark efforts and report back to the Joint Commission as part of the certification process.
“Sustainability in healthcare is not new,” Costello said. “Many states already have requirements in place for reducing and reporting emissions, and it’s likely that at some point, everybody will have guidelines they need to address. The certification provides structure and helps you better set up your strategy for success.”
Involve the right people
If you want stakeholder engagement, think green — or, in Valley Children’s case, think Green Team. The interdisciplinary group of clinical and nonclinical employees looks at sustainability across the organization from various angles, including inpatient services, facilities and construction, and IT.
“They’ve all embraced going on this journey not only within our hospital, but also within our community,” Costello said. “They’re excited about engaging their colleagues to help our sustainability efforts be successful. That’s been the biggest reward.”
And, Costello adds, be sure to establish communication best practices about your sustainability initiatives throughout all levels of the organization. This isn’t, after all, a top-down initiative.
“It’s really about having those boots on the ground with the Green Team and ensuring the team’s work is communicated every step of the way,” she said.
Diversify
Costello also encourages considering new vendors or sourcing agreements that include sustainable practices that support your organization’s environmental strategy. For instance, one of Valley Children’s distributors has a medical device reprocessing program that reduces waste by extending the life of single-use devices. Valley Children’s also built out local environmental teams to boost recycling and energy resources.
Remember your mission
Once you’ve determined how the Joint Commission certification fits within your organization’s strategic framework, take a step back and look at the even bigger picture: How will it improve patients’ lives?
“For organizations that are struggling to decide if they want to go down this path, they must evaluate it from the lens of their strategic plan and where they want to go as a health system,” Costello said. “Valley Children's Healthcare is centered on ensuring a future that’s worth fighting for. And it’s not just inside the walls of Valley Children's — it's having that impact outside our walls as well.”
For more information on how Vizient can help your organization achieve the SHC, contact ES@vizientinc.com to learn about Climate Performance Solutions. And be sure to check out our website to learn more about Vizient Environmental Sustainability and to read the 2023 Corporate Social Responsibility Report.