Environmental Responsibility
The Catholic health ministry serves our communities by healing the sick, serving the poor and vulnerable and leading by example. Through the strength of more than 2000 Catholic health care sponsors, systems, facilities and related organizations, we have the power and responsibility to make health care more environmentally safe for our patients, employees, communities and planet.
We can improve the health of our communities — locally and globally — by reducing waste, shrinking our carbon footprint, using environmentally safe materials and adopting sustainable food policies.
We are committed:
- As health professionals, to "first, do no harm."
- As Catholic ministries, to care for the sick and vulnerable, the unborn and all of creation.
- As neighbors, to act in the best interest of our communities.
Inspired by our faith and values the Catholic health ministry has formed a partnership with sponsors, systems, facilities and with experts in environmental responsibility to to reduce the environmental burden of the health care we provide.
New Earth Day 2012 Resources
On April 22, the world will celebrate Earth Day. CHA has developed several resources you can use to recognize and participate in this event, as well as support your ongoing efforts to establish and strengthen organizational environmental responsibility activities
CHA has received the following resources to share with the ministry thanks to the generosity of Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (MD H2E).
On-Demand PowerPoints for Use in Associate Education
CHA, funded through a grant by the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change (CCCC) and the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, has developed five on-demand educational modules that are short and to the point for use in Catholic health care. Developed in collaboration with Practice Greenhealth and the CCCC, the topics and leaders narrating each include:
- Mission and the Environment, with Fr. Thomas Nairn, OFM, Ph.D., of CHA.
- Leadership Engagement, with Colleen Scanlon, RN, JD, of Catholic Health Initiatives.
- Getting Started, with Julie Trocchio of CHA.
- Creating Dashboards, with Janet Brown of Practice Greenhealth.
- The Catholic Climate Covenant — How Health Care is an Essential Partner, with Dan Misleh of the CCCC.
Other Popular Resources
BHCAA Award Recognition Program
CHA has jointed as a supporter of the Environment Protection Agency's Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging award program, a national recognition for communities that combine smart growth and active aging. The goal of the award program is to raise awareness across the nation about how communities can combine smart growth and active aging concepts. Awards will be presented to communities that demonstrate the best and most inclusive overall approach to implementing smart growth and active aging at the neighborhood, tribe, municipality, county and/or regional levels. EPA will announce the awards in the spring.
Environmental Sustainability and Stewardship Networking Conference Calls
For the past year, the Catholic Health Association has been involved in an initiative, Faithfully Healing the Earth, Catholic Health Care and Climate Change. As a next step, we want to build on the richness of the ministry's efforts to decrease their impact on the environment and be faithful stewards of our Earth by initiating a series of networking conference calls. These periodic calls will allow us, as a community of caregivers, to discuss issues, challenges, and successful practices.