Towards Climate Resilient and Environmentally Sustainable Health Care Facilities

Carlos Corvalan, Elena Villalobos Prats, Aderita Sena, Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, Josh Karliner, Antonella Risso, Susan Wilburn, Scott Slotterback, Megha Rathi, Ruth Stringer, Peter Berry, Sally Edwards, Paddy Enright, Arabella Hayter, Guy Howard, Jostacio Lapitan, Margaret Montgomery, Annette Prüss-Ustün, Linda Varangu and Salvatore Vinci
Additional contact information
Carlos Corvalan: School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
Elena Villalobos Prats: Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Aderita Sena: Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum: Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Josh Karliner: Health Care without Harm, Reston, VA 20190, USA
Antonella Risso: Health Care without Harm, Reston, VA 20190, USA
Susan Wilburn: Health Care without Harm, Reston, VA 20190, USA
Scott Slotterback: Independent Consultant, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA
Megha Rathi: Health Care without Harm, Reston, VA 20190, USA
Ruth Stringer: Health Care without Harm, Reston, VA 20190, USA
Peter Berry: Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Sally Edwards: Department of Communicable Diseases and Environmental Determinants of Health, Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC 20037, USA
Paddy Enright: Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Arabella Hayter: Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Guy Howard: Civil Engineering, Queens Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK
Jostacio Lapitan: Department of Health Security Preparedness, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Margaret Montgomery: Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Annette Prüss-Ustün: Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Linda Varangu: Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, Halifax, NS B3J 1Z4, Canada
Salvatore Vinci: Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-18

Abstract: The aim of building climate resilient and environmentally sustainable health care facilities is: (a) to enhance their capacity to protect and improve the health of their target communities in an unstable and changing climate; and (b) to empower them to optimize the use of resources and minimize the release of pollutants and waste into the environment. Such health care facilities contribute to high quality of care and accessibility of services and, by helping reduce facility costs, also ensure better affordability. They are an important component of universal health coverage. Action is needed in at least four areas which are fundamental requirements for providing safe and quality care: having adequate numbers of skilled human resources, with decent working conditions, empowered and informed to respond to these environmental challenges; sustainable and safe management of water, sanitation and health care waste; sustainable energy services; and appropriate infrastructure and technologies, including all the operations that allow for the efficient functioning of a health care facility. Importantly, this work contributes to promoting actions to ensure that health care facilities are constantly and increasingly strengthened and continue to be efficient and responsive to improve health and contribute to reducing inequities and vulnerability within their local settings. To this end, we propose a framework to respond to these challenges.

Keywords: climate resilience; environmental sustainability; climate change and health; health care facilities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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