Greening Health Care

The relationship between hospitals and the environment is defined by a glaring contradiction: as health care facilities deliver care at any cost, their environmental footprint -- pollution, waste production, unsustainable food services -- contributes to harming community health.
Greening Health Care examines the intersections of health care and environmental health, both in terms of traditional failures and the revolution underway to fix them. Authored by one of the pioneers in health care's green movement, it presents practical solutions for health care organizations and clinicians to improve their environments and the health of their communities. Topics include: making food services sustainable, managing hospital waste, and relevant impacts/mitigating measures related to climate change.
As environmental protection grows into an imperative for all aspects of society, Greening Health Care offers an historical and practical approach to sustainable health care delivery.

Kathy Gerwig is Vice President of Employee Safety, Health and Wellness, and Environmental Stewardship Officer for Kaiser Permanente, one of America's leading not-for-profit providers of health care. Ms. Gerwig is responsible for developing, organizing and managing a nationwide environmental initiative for the organization, and under her leadership Kaiser Permanente has become widely recognized as an environmental leader in the health care sector. She has twice testified before Congress on the need for federal chemical policy reform, and has appeared at numerous hearings on environmental issues. Ms. Gerwig is also Kaiser Permanente's national leader for Employee Safety, Health and Wellness, responsible for eliminating workplace injuries, promoting healthy lifestyle choices, and reducing health risks for the organization's174,000 employees and nearly 17,000 physicians. She is on the boards of several leading non-governmental organizations focused on safety and environmental sustainability in health care.