New report calls on Houston’s healthcare community to take action on climate change

A new report underlines an “urgent need” for healthcare systems in the Houston region to combat climate change and avoid an environmental “code blue.”

“By adopting collaborative strategies and leveraging technological innovations, healthcare providers can play a critical role in protecting the health of Houstonians against the backdrop of an evolving climate landscape,” said the reportpublished by the Center for Houston’s Future.

The report’s recommendations include:

• Advocate for policies that promote decarbonization.
• Create eco-friendly spaces in hospitals and low-income communities, among others.
• Recruit “champions” among health leaders and physicians to help fight climate change.
• Establish academic programs to educate healthcare professionals and students about climate health and decarbonization.
• Strengthen climate change research.
• Benchmark, track and publish statistics on greenhouse gas emissions “to promote responsibility and reduce the environmental impacts of the healthcare sector.” The report notes that the U.S. healthcare sector emits 8.5 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gases.

“By embracing collaborative strategies, acting with urgency and implementing sustainable practices, our region’s healthcare providers can play a critical role in creating a healthier and more resilient Houston,” said Brett Perlman, outgoing president and CEO of the Center for Houston’s Future . “Working together, given all the collective wisdom, resources and innovation concentrated in our medical community, we can tackle the challenges we face.”

The report highlights the threat of climate-induced disasters in the Houston region, such as extreme heat, flooding and hurricanes. These events are likely to worsen health problems such as heat stroke, respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease and insect-borne diseases, the report said.

St. Luke’s Health, a nonprofit health care system with 16 hospitals in the Houston area and East Texas, funded the report.

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This article originally appeared on EnergyCapital.