Hospital staff can customize this template and send an email to their leadership making the case for joining the Health Care Climate Challenge.

Dear <<name of hospital administrator>>,

As someone who sees patients every day in the <<name of department>>, I am concerned about the impact climate change is having on the health of our patients and community.

In order to ensure we are honoring our healing mission and doing our part to protect our patients and community, I would like to propose that our hospital join the Health Care Climate Challenge.

The health impacts of climate change are already being felt across the country. These impacts include increased respiratory and cardiovascular disease, injuries and premature deaths related to extreme weather events, changes in the prevalence and geographical distribution of infectious diseases, and impacts on mental health. In my own practice I am seeing more patients suffering from <<describe specific impacts>>.

At the same time, hospital operations have a significant environmental footprint making up nearly 10 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. It’s vital that our hospital take steps to reduce our emissions so we do not contribute to the illnesses we are trying to treat.

Investing in energy efficiency and clean energy can also generate significant financial savings for our hospital. Every $1 a nonprofit health care organization saves on energy is equivalent to generating $20 in new revenue.

Recent extreme weather events also demonstrate the need to invest in hospital and community resilience. The report Safe haven in the storm: Protecting lives and margins with climate-smart health care shows how hospitals can prevent loss and damages by investing in preparedness.

The Health Care Climate Challenge will provide our hospital with the tools and resources we need and connect us to other hospitals doing this work.

I would like to schedule a time to talk with you more about our hospital’s participation in the challenge. What time would be most convenient for you?

Sincerely,

<<name, title, department>>