May 25—Eleven major hospital systems in Colorado have signed onto a national effort known as the Healthier Hospitals Initiative that aims to improve the health and safety not just of patients but of the communities and environment around them as well.
Under the initiative campaign — a three-year effort signed on April 3 that will gather data from participating facilities to demonstrate the fiscal and environmental impacts of the measure — facilities will be asked to do six things:
• Engage in leadership on environmental health and sustainability;
• Serve healthier foods;
• Reduce energy use;
• Reduce waste;
• Use safer chemicals; and
• Purchase environmentally preferable products.