New SHC Resource Center Spotlight: Beth Israel Deaconess
The Joint Commission launched its Sustainable Healthcare Certification (SHC) Resource Center on Sept. 18, 2023. The resource center provides sustainability strategies, tools and tips, Spotlights on leading organizations, cost savings examples, and other key resources to assist in reducing your carbon footprint. While it was designed with certification in mind, it can be an on-ramp for any organization, whether they seek accreditation or not, and wherever they are on their environmental sustainability journey.
Since the launch, several new and exciting Spotlights have been added to the resource center from leading organizations, including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Seattle Children’s Hospital, Boston Medical Center, and more are coming.
BIDMC provided Spotlight examples for several environmental sustainability domains: assessment, measurement, and improvement, waste reduction strategies (including training and going paperless) and anesthetic gases. Please click on each below to learn more.
- Assessment, measurement, and improvement strategies: BIDMC recently hired a Senior Sustainability Data Analyst within their Sustainability Department, aiming to establish baseline metrics, track sustainability goals, and drive environmental impact reductions through advanced technologies and data-driven insights.
- Implementing annual sustainability E-Training: In order to achieve their Zero Waste by 2030 initiative, and build an organization-wide skill set, they implemented annual interactive E-training on Sustainability & Regulatory Training, educating over 12,000 employees in 2023.
- Implementing a Paperless Strategy Committee: The committee represents 22 departments and has achieved a 25% reduction in paper use for the first year.
- Reducing emissions related to anesthetic gases: BIDMC successfully reduced anesthetic gas emissions by approximately 90% since 2016. Read more to learn how.
Note: Complete the form at each link to get full access to the Spotlights and Cost Savings resources. Please watch for more Spotlights from other leading organizations!