September 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of Health Care Without Harm. To commemorate the occasion, we’re taking a moment to reflect back on our history and achievements while looking ahead to ahead to the healthier world we hope to achieve.

Look out for more anniversary features this month and follow on us on Twitter @HCWithoutHarm to stay up to date with the latest news and announcements.

Health Care Without Harm's 20th Anniversary News

20 Years In, We're Just Getting Started

Celebrating Health Care Without Harm’s 20th anniversary, Gary Cohen reflects on the last two decades in the environmental health movement and offers an opportunity for health care to redefine its role in the 21st century.

When we started Health Care Without Harm, we hardly knew anyone who worked in the health care sector. We were mostly outsiders, community activists who had been working for decades in the environmental movement. But we knew we needed powerful allies to transform this emerging science linking the environment to our health into action that would protect our children, our families, our communities. We needed health care. (Continue reading)

New Film Showcases Health Care’s Mission to Protect People and the Planet

As part of our 20th anniversary celebration, Health Care Without Harm is excited to release Do No Harm, a short film telling the inspiring story of the global movement in health care toward advocating for change on the critical environmental health issues of our time. 

[Asia] 20 Years of HCWH's Global Work: Our Success Stories

Over the last two decades, Health Care Without Harm has had a significant impact on the health sector by working with health professionals, hospitals, major health systems, ministries of health and UN organizations to reduce the sector’s environmental footprint and mobilize it as an advocate for environmental health and justice. Our successes include: (Continue reading)

[Europe] Celebrating 20 years of Campaigning for Sustainable Healthcare

In 1999 US environmentalists reached out to European activists, doctors, and nurses to share their concept of healthcare without harm, and soon after the first projects started in Europe.

By 2003 HCWH Europe was set up as a registered independent non-profit organisation, which has been helping local experts in translating European laws to the 10 new Eastern and Central European Countries when they joined the EU in 2004. HCWH Europe also worked to make sure that mercury based thermometers and blood pressure instruments are phased out in Europe. Based in Brussels, HCWH Europe follows closely the policy process of important issues for healthcare, such as the medical device directive, the public procurement directive, biocides, chemicals and pharmaceutical regulations, and AMR. (Continue reading)