Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Health Care is one of the first health systems in the U.S. to earn a Sustainable Healthcare Certification from The Joint Commission.
The certificate recognizes organizations that have shown progress in cutting emissions that effect climate change, according to a Stanford Health Care May 14 news release.
"To advance our mission of improving human health, it is imperative that we continue to collaborate with researchers around the globe to meet the daunting challenges of the climate crisis head on," Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Stanford University, said in the release.
Stanford's sustainability program office has created four goals for sustainability, to reduce building energy use 25% by 2030, move 90% of waste moved to landfills by composting, recycling, limiting and reusing waste by 2030, cut greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030, and remove 90% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The health system also established two medical directors of sustainability in 2023, Paige Fox, MD, PhD, associate professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery, and Praveen Kalra, MD, clinical associate professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine, to implement clinical environment changes.
Lastly, Stanford Health established a sustainability in nursing fellowship program in 2023 to tackle projects like promoting sustainable commuting, moving to reusable items, and cutting supplies that are thrown away unused.