Why Green

Health care organizations in the US purchase more than $300 billion of goods and services each year. However, progress has been slow due to various obstacles and Greenhealth Exchange was created to remove at least some of those obstacles such as price and product vetting.

Keeping People Healthy and Safe

Health care today means more than just treating the patient at your hospital or physician’s office. Leaders in health care are switching to green products for the health and safety of their patients, staff and visitors who walk through the doors. Those who do are better positioned to provide high-quality care that improves health outcomes.

Protecting the Environment

Hospitals consume vast amounts of water and energy and produce a tremendous amount of waste. But that’s not all. The health care products we purchase—from production to disposal—take a toll on planet.

Here’s the good news: we’ve come a long way. For many of us, environmental stewardship is woven into the fabric of who we are and how we operate.

Prioritizing green products builds on that commitment, delivering measurable environmental benefits by buying green and GX is helping members understand why a product is “green” and providing benefits reporting to illustrate the advantages of utilization green products over other products.

Building Healthier Communities

Hospitals are anchor institutions in most communities. And their purchasing decisions can create significant community benefits: generating jobs, stimulating local economies, cutting down on energy, water and raw materials used in production and transportation, and improving health outcomes by increasing access to healthy foods and clean energy. Additionally, as anchor institutions, health care systems can demonstrate the impact of product choice on a person’s health that goes beyond just diet and exercise.