AHA Launches Revamped Sustainability Roadmap Website

The American Hospital Association (AHA) has launched a revamped website that provides free, practical tools to help healthcare facilities reduce their environmental footprints. The Sustainability Roadmap (www.sustainabilityroadmap.org/) shows hospitals how to implement real-world sustainability projects, enhance existing efforts, and share their environmental successes with other facilities.

Hospitals are committed to creating healthy communities, and part of that mission involves being good environmental stewards, says Rich Umbdenstock, AHA president and CEO. The expanded Sustainability Roadmap website provides easy-to-use resources that can help hospitals achieve their sustainability goals and provide economic, health and environmental benefits. Our members can contribute resources and share experiences to build on the progress we have already made.

Three AHA personal membership groupsthe American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), the Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE), and the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM)have collaborated to produce this expanded set of resources developed by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals.

The Sustainability Roadmap website features search functions, how-to guides, and other resources. It also provides users the opportunity to share resources and tools, letting other facilities know whats working well and whats not. This sharing of experiences can help focus sustainability efforts on efficient and cost effective projects. Users can also contribute suggestions, sample documents and case studies to add to the library of practical information on the site.

The Sustainability Roadmap is useful for hospital managers, hospital staff and those who design health care facilities. It also provides healthcare leaders with strategic planning resources to help get sustainability efforts on the radar of complex healthcare organizations.

The Sustainability Roadmap will continue to grow as more information is developed by users and ASHE, AHE and AHRMM. The site was developed by the three personal membership groups in conjunction with San Francisco-based consulting firm Mazzetti Nash Lipsey Burch.