Flexible resources for sustainable health facilities

In last month’s column, I talked about the American Society for Health Care Engineering’s (ASHE’s) efforts to inform legislation that will support members in the long term, such as investing in health care infrastructure across the country. 

Now that we are in the middle of ASHE conference season, with a successful virtual PDC Summit behind us, I want to revisit resources and tools ASHE brings directly to members to meet current needs in addition to our long-term initiatives. 

As the former chair of ASHE’s sustainability committee, ASHE’s sustainability initiatives have been immensely important to me. I believe our members are dedicated to making their health care facilities more sustainable, but becoming more sustainable in health care — with 24-hour operations seven days a week — is no easy task. 

Our association’s nationally recognized Energy to Care Program is robust, with resources to help you achieve your individual energy sustainability goals. For its work in Energy to Care, ASHE has received the ENERGY STAR^® Sustained Excellence Award for three consecutive years and the Partner of the Year Award for five consecutive years. In particular, the Energy to Care Dashboard is a free, multifaceted tool that allows members to benchmark their energy use, monitor trends and identify energy savings that can be redirected to patient care. 

But sustainability is not just about energy. In alignment with the American Hospital Association, of which ASHE is a professional membership group, and global trends, we are planning to expand our offerings to sustainability elements beyond our traditional focus of energy to other key areas. 

We are also publishing two new sustainability monographs this summer: one expands upon our Energy to Care sustainability guide, and the other details best practices for financing sustainability. 

I hope I’ve been able to see you all at ASHE’s Annual Conference this month in Nashville, Tenn. If you haven’t been able to attend the in-person event, or you want to access exclusive content in addition to the in-person event, consider attending our virtual Annual Conference on Sept. 15-17.