[From Climate for Health] When you have a problem with your health, where do you turn? To your doctor. Your skin flares up: dermatologist. Your foot bothers you: podiatrist. Heart concerns: cardiologist. It should be no surprise, then, that when the health of all of us is at stake, the healthcare community acts to prevent harm. That is, afterall, the Hippocratic Oath.

That looming threat on our health is now climate change. Unlike the traditional approach of caring for ourselves, such as focusing on regular physical exercise and healthy dietary practices, this one's hitting us all. Organizing a disperse group of busy medical professionals, however, is no easy job. The organization Health Care Without Harm has created the Health Care Climate Council, which serves as a vehicle of climate action among healthcare leaders. They include thirteen hospital systems that represent more than 500 hospitals and $100 billion in revenue. Impressive, right?

It goes on. Health Care Without Harm researched and produced a healthcare climate resilience guide for the Department of Health and Human Services. In December, they brought 10 leading hospital systems to the White House to meet with top Administration officials, release the guide and discuss how to scale these strategies across the healthcare sector. Of course, engaging health care leaders is critical to the success of this movement.

Whoever thought the healthcare sector would be taking a lead to counter climate change? It just so happens it is...(Continue reading)