February 15, 2023 – Hospitals and labs are responsible for 4.4% of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions each year, ranking in the top six of the worlds’ largest emitters, and the United States accounts for 27% of the global health care emissions footprint. (Karliner J., et al, 2019) The negative environmental impact of Academic Health Centers (AHCs) on human health is not only misaligned with, it is contrary to the missions of these institutions. Calls to action have been voiced and supported by world and national associations, including the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
These calls demand changes that shift health care institutions from being the biggest contributors of emissions to becoming models for other industries to follow. In response to acknowledging our responsibility to safeguard the health of our communities through mitigating the current environmental crisis, as well as to create a proactive, sustainable model for AHCs, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is making strides towards becoming carbon neutral. Through innovative strategy and financing, radical changes toward reducing our institution’s carbon footprint have been made possible.
UAMS is the only health sciences university in the state, with five graduate colleges and a hospital on its main campus in Little Rock. Our University is committed to addressing climate change and human health in our education and research mission areas, as well as through campus sustainability efforts. Additionally, and in an effort to promote inclusive climate change activism, our campus aims to reduce pollution and the negative impact of its consumption on the vulnerable community that lives in the shadow of its buildings. (North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, 2016) To that end, our leadership prioritized and is now executing a comprehensive facilities plan that is already having a positive impact on sustainability. The plan also addresses many institutional and organizational challenges that are common for academic health centers.
Read more in the latest issue of The Journal of Healthcare Contracting.