Earth month and every month, our Providence family of organizations’ vision of “health for a better world” means we’re not only focused on nurturing healthy communities, but also a healthy planet. That’s why we’re striving toward carbon negative by 2030, constantly looking for innovative opportunities to reduce waste and ultimately build climate resilience. Here are a few examples of our approach.

Using AI-driven technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the OR

Providence developed a system called OneView to more easily track equipment used in the operating room and make surgeons aware of their individual contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, enabling them to adjust their equipment preference lists to minimize their carbon footprint. Over time, these individual informed decisions combined can produce meaningful change.  For example, according to Medriva, “One critical success of the OneView program is its substantial reduction of the hospital’s greenhouse gas footprint. A pilot project at Providence’s main operating room in Portland resulted in an impressive reduction of 850 metric tons of carbon per year. This has significant potential in contributing towards the broader goal of reducing the healthcare industry’s total carbon footprint.”

Looking for small ways to make a big difference

Little changes can make a huge impact when you have a seven-state footprint. As highlighted on Politico, “Providence, a large Catholic health system aiming for net carbon neutrality by 2030, used to have disposable plastic boxes for collecting ‘sharps’ like needles and scalpels ‘in every patient room and a lot of other places,’ said Beth Schenk, a nurse who is executive director of Providence’s Environmental stewardship. They’ve been replaced with new containers that can be used 600 times; in a system with more than 50 hospitals and 950 clinics from Alaska to Texas, it’s a big change.”

Reducing carbon emissions while delivering care to underserved communities

Providence Express Care and Virtual Visits ensure care for our patients’ common concerns in minutes from the comfort of home. For patients outside the Providence family of organizations footprint, we partner with other health professionals to provide accessible, responsive and affordable care when they need it through programs like TeleStroke, Emergent TeleNeurology, TeleNeuroHospitalist, TeleEEG and more.

Not only does telehealth ensure underserved communities have access to quality care, but it has helped us reduce carbon emissions an average of 8,780 metric tons annually. That’s equivalent to 22,507,959 miles driven by an average gasoline-powered vehicle.

All told, our environmental policies to date have resulted in:

• Joining the Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Sector Climate Pledge.
• 100% renewable electricity used by 31 Providence facilities.
• 11.5% reduction in emissions in 2022 compared to our 2019 baseline.
• Receiving 48 Practice Greenhealth Awards.

Join us

We all play a vital role in protecting the environment and preserving natural resources for future generations. If our values align with yours and you’re interested in joining our organization, view all open roles.