Enhancing the sustainability and climate resiliency of health care facilities: a comparison of initiatives and toolkits.

Extreme weather events have revealed the vulnerability of health care facilities and the extent of devastation to the community when they fail. With climate change anticipated to increase extreme weather and its impacts worldwide-severe droughts, floods, heat waves, and related vector-borne diseases-health care officials need to understand and address the vulnerabilities of their health care systems and take action to improve resiliency in ways that also meet sustainability goals. Generally, the health sector is among a country's largest consumers of energy and a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Now it has the opportunity lead climate mitigation, while reducing energy, water, and other costs. This Special Report summarizes several initiatives and compares three toolkits for implementing sustainability and resiliency measures for health care facilities: the Canadian Health Care Facility Climate Change Resiliency Toolkit, the U.S. Sustainable and Climate Resilient Health Care Facilities Toolkit, and the PAHO SMART Hospitals Toolkit of the World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization. These tools and the lessons learned can provide a critical starting point for any health system in the Americas.

Enhancing the sustainability and climate resiliency of health care facilities: a comparison of initiatives and toolkits / Mejora de la sostenibilidad y la resistencia de las instalaciones de atención sanitaria ante el cambio climático: iniciativas y recursos

Extreme weather events have revealed the vulnerability of health care facilities and the extent of devastation to the community when they fail. With climate change anticipated to increase extreme weather and its impacts worldwide—severe droughts, floods, heat waves, and related vector-borne diseases—health care officials need to understand and address the vulnerabilities of their health care systems and take action to improve resiliency in ways that also meet sustainability goals. Generally, the health sector is among a country’s largest consumers of energy and a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Now it has the opportunity lead climate mitigation, while reducing energy, water, and other costs. This Special Report summarizes several initiatives and compares three toolkits for implementing sustainability and resiliency measures for health care facilities: the Canadian Health Care Facility Climate Change Resiliency Toolkit, the U.S. Sustainable and Climate Resilient Health Care Facilities Toolkit, and the PAHO SMART Hospitals Toolkit of the World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization. These tools and the lessons learned can provide a critical starting point for any health system in the Americas.

Los sucesos climáticos extremos han puesto de manifiesto la vulnerabilidad de las instalaciones de atención sanitaria y el grado de devastación infligido a la comunidad cuando estas fallan. Ante un cambio climático que preanuncia un aumento de los sucesos climáticos extremos y sus respectivos impactos en todo el mundo (sequías, inundaciones y olas de calor intensas, así como enfermedades relacionadas transmitidas por vectores) los profesionales sanitarios deben comprender y hacer frente a las vulnerabilidades de sus sistemas de atención de salud, y emprender acciones que apunten a mejorar su resistencia de manera sostenible. Por lo general, el sector salud es uno de los mayores consumidores de energía de un país y una fuente significativa de emisión de gases de efecto invernadero. En la actualidad tiene la oportunidad de liderar las acciones de mitigación frente al cambio climático, y a la vez de reducir los costos de energía y agua, entre otros. En este informe especial se resumen varias iniciativas y se comparan tres recursos dirigidos a implementar medidas de sostenibilidad y resistencia para instalaciones de atención sanitaria: la Herramienta de Resistencia ante el Cambio Climático para Instalaciones de Atención Sanitaria (Canadá), la Herramienta de Resistencia ante el Cambio Climático para Instalaciones de Atención Sanitaria (Estados Unidos) y la Herramienta Hospitales Inteligentes de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud/ Organización Mundial de la Salud. Estas herramientas y las lecciones aprendidas a través de ellas proporcionan un punto de partida crucial para todos los sistemas de salud de la Región de las Américas.