AHA Statement on HHS Pledge Initiative to Mobilize Health Care Sector to Reduce Emissions

Rick Pollack
President and CEO
American Hospital Association

April 22, 2022

America’s hospitals and health systems see the public health effects of climate change first-hand, from buildings damaged during natural disasters to increases in asthma and other chronic conditions due to poor air quality. The social and structural factors that influence health, access to health insurance, exposure to pollution and other factors also result in some communities bearing a disproportionate burden from extreme climate-related events. That is why the AHA and our professional membership groups are already taking steps to help hospitals reduce the carbon footprints of facilities. The hospital field is committed to doing our part to reduce emissions and promote environmental stewardship, but we know we cannot do this alone. We urge the Biden Administration to pursue a collaborative approach with input from the entire health care field, regulators and experts as it identifies which tools and resources will be most helpful moving forward. We appreciate the Administration’s focus and dedication to this critical issue and, working together, we can maintain high standards for patient care and safety while taking steps to operate in a more sustainable way and reducing the impacts of climate on the health of all communities.

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Contact:      Sean Barry, sbarry@aha.org                   
                    Marie Johnson, mjohnson@aha.org

About the American Hospital Association
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners – including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers – and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.