1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,480 Hi, everyone, and thank you for listening to 2 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:04,259 the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. 3 00:00:04,799 --> 00:00:08,000 I'm Erica Carbajal, an editor with Becker's Hospital 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:08,500 Review. 5 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:11,759 Joining me on today's podcast are doctor Winnie 6 00:00:11,759 --> 00:00:14,960 Armand, the associate director at the Mass General 7 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:18,074 Center for the Environment and Health, and doctor 8 00:00:18,074 --> 00:00:21,295 Greg Fury, medical director for climate and sustainability 9 00:00:21,595 --> 00:00:23,295 at Brigham and Women's Hospital. 10 00:00:23,675 --> 00:00:25,435 Thank you both so much for joining me 11 00:00:25,435 --> 00:00:27,755 today. Thank you for having us. Yeah. Thank 12 00:00:27,755 --> 00:00:29,649 you. It's a pleasure. Yeah. I think it's 13 00:00:29,649 --> 00:00:31,410 it's a really great time for this discussion. 14 00:00:31,410 --> 00:00:33,649 I think sustainability is coming up more and 15 00:00:33,649 --> 00:00:36,369 more. There's definitely energy growing around the topic 16 00:00:36,369 --> 00:00:39,489 when we're talking to hospital and health system 17 00:00:39,489 --> 00:00:40,390 leaders. So 18 00:00:40,945 --> 00:00:42,564 can you start us off by 19 00:00:42,945 --> 00:00:44,465 telling us a little bit about the big 20 00:00:44,465 --> 00:00:46,965 picture here? I know the health care sector 21 00:00:47,104 --> 00:00:47,604 contributes 22 00:00:47,984 --> 00:00:49,125 around 9% 23 00:00:49,184 --> 00:00:51,204 of US greenhouse gas emissions, 24 00:00:51,664 --> 00:00:53,924 and we're starting to see more systems 25 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:56,899 be intentional here and start to take action. 26 00:00:57,359 --> 00:00:58,800 So can you tell us a little bit 27 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:00,420 about when sustainability 28 00:01:01,039 --> 00:01:03,859 actually first emerged as a strategic imperative 29 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:06,560 at Mass General Brigham, and what are some 30 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,415 of the most significant investments that the system 31 00:01:09,415 --> 00:01:11,915 has made to date to reduce its environmental 32 00:01:11,975 --> 00:01:12,475 footprint? 33 00:01:13,575 --> 00:01:15,734 Sure. I'm I'm happy to take this one. 34 00:01:15,734 --> 00:01:16,234 So 35 00:01:16,534 --> 00:01:18,475 first of all, I think it's critical to 36 00:01:18,855 --> 00:01:21,120 state that climate change is a public health 37 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:24,079 crisis. And at MGB, we feel that contributing 38 00:01:24,079 --> 00:01:26,719 to a crisis that's taking a devastating toll 39 00:01:26,719 --> 00:01:28,719 on human health is at direct odds with 40 00:01:28,719 --> 00:01:31,299 our fundamental mission to promote health and well-being. 41 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:33,760 And as a a meter in sustainable health 42 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:34,420 care delivery, 43 00:01:34,719 --> 00:01:36,635 we're committed to addressing climate change and its 44 00:01:36,635 --> 00:01:39,034 threats to our community's health. So we've actually 45 00:01:39,034 --> 00:01:41,754 been doing this work for decades. We've been 46 00:01:41,754 --> 00:01:42,875 a meter in this space, 47 00:01:43,435 --> 00:01:45,534 for a number of years now. 48 00:01:45,915 --> 00:01:47,754 But I think what's important to note is 49 00:01:47,754 --> 00:01:49,854 that the scope of that work has changed 50 00:01:50,430 --> 00:01:50,930 over 51 00:01:51,310 --> 00:01:52,049 time. So 52 00:01:52,750 --> 00:01:54,770 going back twenty, twenty five years, 53 00:01:55,469 --> 00:01:56,689 this work was largely 54 00:01:57,469 --> 00:02:00,670 focused on energy. And full full transparency, that 55 00:02:00,670 --> 00:02:02,609 was driven in large part by the financial 56 00:02:02,670 --> 00:02:03,170 savings 57 00:02:03,715 --> 00:02:05,334 that could be achieved through 58 00:02:05,715 --> 00:02:06,534 energy conservation, 59 00:02:07,234 --> 00:02:09,414 on-site renewable energy production, 60 00:02:09,875 --> 00:02:12,055 and purchasing renewable energy. 61 00:02:12,914 --> 00:02:15,895 But, during that entire time, we've recognized that 62 00:02:16,409 --> 00:02:18,330 there was alignment not just with kind of 63 00:02:18,330 --> 00:02:20,810 the financial piece of this, but also with, 64 00:02:20,810 --> 00:02:23,050 as I mentioned, the public health implications that 65 00:02:23,050 --> 00:02:25,770 we're do are reducing our impact on the 66 00:02:25,770 --> 00:02:27,550 environment. So some of the 67 00:02:27,930 --> 00:02:31,004 big investments that National Brigham has made over 68 00:02:31,004 --> 00:02:32,764 the past twenty five years in this space, 69 00:02:32,764 --> 00:02:34,064 particularly around energy, 70 00:02:34,685 --> 00:02:36,064 have been, as I mentioned, 71 00:02:36,525 --> 00:02:37,025 on 72 00:02:37,485 --> 00:02:38,625 energy conservation. 73 00:02:39,084 --> 00:02:41,405 This was largely through, what we've called our 74 00:02:41,405 --> 00:02:43,344 strategic energy master plans, 75 00:02:43,965 --> 00:02:45,185 one and two, 76 00:02:45,860 --> 00:02:48,180 investments in on-site renewables. So a number of 77 00:02:48,180 --> 00:02:49,240 our facilities 78 00:02:49,540 --> 00:02:50,919 have rooftop solar. 79 00:02:51,780 --> 00:02:54,979 More recently, we have been investing in kind 80 00:02:54,979 --> 00:02:57,620 of off-site renewables through something called a virtual 81 00:02:57,620 --> 00:02:58,120 power, 82 00:02:58,819 --> 00:02:59,960 power purchase agreement. 83 00:03:00,735 --> 00:03:04,094 Initially, we worked on purchasing renewable energy from 84 00:03:04,094 --> 00:03:06,495 a wind farm in New Hampshire, and then 85 00:03:06,495 --> 00:03:08,034 just and quite recently, 86 00:03:08,735 --> 00:03:12,414 in collaboration with Harvard, MIT, and Apex Clean 87 00:03:12,414 --> 00:03:14,254 Energy as as well as a few other 88 00:03:14,254 --> 00:03:15,155 smaller players, 89 00:03:15,500 --> 00:03:17,580 we established something called the consortium for climate 90 00:03:17,580 --> 00:03:18,080 solutions, 91 00:03:18,539 --> 00:03:19,360 which is basically 92 00:03:19,659 --> 00:03:22,959 invested in two large scale renewable energy projects, 93 00:03:23,340 --> 00:03:24,959 that will provide clean energy 94 00:03:25,419 --> 00:03:27,180 equivalent to the NLU usage of about a 95 00:03:27,180 --> 00:03:28,300 130,000 96 00:03:28,300 --> 00:03:29,840 homes over fifteen years. 97 00:03:30,219 --> 00:03:33,064 So for now twenty five years, mass general 98 00:03:33,064 --> 00:03:35,245 Brigham has really made a concerted effort 99 00:03:35,625 --> 00:03:36,125 to 100 00:03:36,584 --> 00:03:39,405 address emissions associated with just energy, 101 00:03:40,025 --> 00:03:42,504 consumption and has been really successful in that 102 00:03:42,504 --> 00:03:43,004 space. 103 00:03:43,460 --> 00:03:45,780 Moving forward, we're planning to continue doing this 104 00:03:45,780 --> 00:03:47,780 work. We're actually just finishing up something that 105 00:03:47,780 --> 00:03:48,760 we call the decarbonization 106 00:03:49,219 --> 00:03:51,780 master plan. That's gonna be essentially a roadmap 107 00:03:51,780 --> 00:03:53,080 for many of our facilities 108 00:03:53,620 --> 00:03:54,439 to essentially, 109 00:03:55,780 --> 00:03:56,280 decarbonize 110 00:03:56,819 --> 00:03:59,865 and and eliminate emission remaining emissions associated with 111 00:03:59,865 --> 00:04:00,605 our facilities. 112 00:04:00,985 --> 00:04:02,425 It's not the only way we're kind of 113 00:04:02,425 --> 00:04:04,685 thinking about this in relationship to our facilities. 114 00:04:05,385 --> 00:04:07,564 We understand that not only is energy 115 00:04:08,025 --> 00:04:11,580 our energy use really critical, but also just 116 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:14,439 the ability of our buildings to really be 117 00:04:14,439 --> 00:04:16,360 resilient in the face of climate change. So 118 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:17,500 one of our buildings 119 00:04:17,879 --> 00:04:19,339 at the Spalding Rehabilitation 120 00:04:19,639 --> 00:04:20,939 Center in Boston 121 00:04:21,514 --> 00:04:23,115 It was really it's right on the water 122 00:04:23,115 --> 00:04:25,454 on Boston Harbor, and it was designed to 123 00:04:25,915 --> 00:04:28,475 basically take into account the fact that over 124 00:04:28,475 --> 00:04:31,435 time, we're gonna be seeing increased flooding and 125 00:04:31,435 --> 00:04:34,794 impacts from, climate change on that on that 126 00:04:34,794 --> 00:04:35,294 particular 127 00:04:35,830 --> 00:04:37,590 building, and so it's designed to be able 128 00:04:37,590 --> 00:04:39,590 to withstand those types of, 129 00:04:39,990 --> 00:04:42,389 of threats. We're also working on building a 130 00:04:42,389 --> 00:04:43,430 new building at, 131 00:04:43,830 --> 00:04:45,529 at, actually, Winnie's institution, 132 00:04:46,470 --> 00:04:47,850 Mass General Hospital. 133 00:04:48,214 --> 00:04:51,175 That's gonna be nearly a net zero building. 134 00:04:51,175 --> 00:04:53,035 So it's probably the most environmentally, 135 00:04:54,214 --> 00:04:57,754 sustainable building that MGB has ever embarked upon, 136 00:04:57,975 --> 00:04:59,495 and I think serves as a model for 137 00:04:59,495 --> 00:05:01,194 many health care institutions 138 00:05:01,574 --> 00:05:02,875 who are, considering 139 00:05:03,415 --> 00:05:06,189 building kind similar types of buildings that I 140 00:05:06,189 --> 00:05:08,349 would say align our goals of providing high 141 00:05:08,349 --> 00:05:11,009 quality and excellent clinical care to our patients, 142 00:05:11,229 --> 00:05:12,669 but also doing so in a way that 143 00:05:12,669 --> 00:05:15,310 has minimal environmental impact. And then the other 144 00:05:15,310 --> 00:05:16,669 thing I would just add is that I 145 00:05:16,669 --> 00:05:18,909 mentioned, you know, those have been some of 146 00:05:18,909 --> 00:05:20,995 the types of projects that we've been working 147 00:05:20,995 --> 00:05:22,214 on for many years 148 00:05:22,595 --> 00:05:24,514 now. But as I mentioned before, the breadth 149 00:05:24,514 --> 00:05:26,995 of work has expanded beyond just energy and 150 00:05:26,995 --> 00:05:29,314 real estate and into other quarters or of 151 00:05:29,314 --> 00:05:29,814 our, 152 00:05:30,435 --> 00:05:33,235 mission, like clinical care, research, and education. So 153 00:05:33,235 --> 00:05:35,879 we have projects that are focused on reducing 154 00:05:36,419 --> 00:05:38,919 emissions related to anesthesia care 155 00:05:39,220 --> 00:05:39,720 from, 156 00:05:40,259 --> 00:05:41,399 metered dose inhalers. 157 00:05:41,860 --> 00:05:43,620 We have a lot of work going on 158 00:05:43,620 --> 00:05:46,099 around single use device reprocessing, which allows us 159 00:05:46,099 --> 00:05:46,839 to essentially 160 00:05:47,295 --> 00:05:49,855 buy back at a reduced price devices that 161 00:05:49,855 --> 00:05:51,455 are labeled in single use, but which the 162 00:05:51,455 --> 00:05:53,535 FDA actually allows us to, 163 00:05:54,014 --> 00:05:56,415 have reprocessed by a third party and ensure 164 00:05:56,415 --> 00:05:58,514 that they maintain their sterility 165 00:05:59,134 --> 00:06:02,115 and their efficacy in in provide in clinical 166 00:06:02,175 --> 00:06:02,675 care. 167 00:06:03,050 --> 00:06:05,769 We have a project around greening our research 168 00:06:05,769 --> 00:06:06,269 laboratories, 169 00:06:07,050 --> 00:06:10,189 and reducing emission and energy consumption and emissions 170 00:06:10,250 --> 00:06:11,389 associated with research. 171 00:06:11,930 --> 00:06:13,769 And I would say we're doing other things 172 00:06:13,769 --> 00:06:16,329 to really ensure that employees and trainees really 173 00:06:16,329 --> 00:06:19,134 begin to understand the critical connection between climate 174 00:06:19,134 --> 00:06:21,694 change, human health, health care delivery, and our 175 00:06:21,694 --> 00:06:23,394 role in driving those solutions. 176 00:06:24,095 --> 00:06:24,595 So, 177 00:06:25,134 --> 00:06:26,814 so I think, you know, this work really 178 00:06:26,814 --> 00:06:28,754 started with energy, but it's expanded, 179 00:06:29,694 --> 00:06:32,330 substantially over the past twenty years. And now 180 00:06:32,330 --> 00:06:33,949 I think we're beginning to see 181 00:06:34,410 --> 00:06:36,889 the same kind of approach to sustainability begin 182 00:06:36,889 --> 00:06:39,610 to be visible and present in much of 183 00:06:39,610 --> 00:06:41,710 the work that we're doing across MGB. 184 00:06:42,810 --> 00:06:45,050 Yeah. Thank you, doctor. Very helpful to hear 185 00:06:45,050 --> 00:06:46,810 of the context and overview of of that 186 00:06:46,810 --> 00:06:47,310 evolution 187 00:06:47,914 --> 00:06:48,814 that you mentioned. 188 00:06:49,754 --> 00:06:52,414 Doctor Armand, I know that employee engagement 189 00:06:52,714 --> 00:06:54,314 is a big part of this work, and 190 00:06:54,314 --> 00:06:55,454 we're seeing that increasingly 191 00:06:56,154 --> 00:06:57,294 in different surveys. 192 00:06:57,834 --> 00:06:59,435 One of the bigger ones is is four 193 00:06:59,435 --> 00:07:01,435 and five clinicians have said that they want 194 00:07:01,435 --> 00:07:03,810 their hospitals to address climate change, and they 195 00:07:03,889 --> 00:07:05,509 see it aligned with their organization's 196 00:07:05,889 --> 00:07:07,110 mission to your point 197 00:07:07,410 --> 00:07:09,810 earlier, doctor Furry, and that's according to a 198 00:07:09,810 --> 00:07:10,850 2024 199 00:07:10,850 --> 00:07:13,649 survey from the Commonwealth Fund. So what are 200 00:07:13,649 --> 00:07:16,209 you seeing on this front from employees at 201 00:07:16,209 --> 00:07:18,930 Mass General Brigham? How are you gauging their 202 00:07:18,930 --> 00:07:19,430 response 203 00:07:19,964 --> 00:07:21,724 to some of the health systems work and 204 00:07:21,724 --> 00:07:23,104 commitments around sustainability? 205 00:07:24,125 --> 00:07:26,844 Yeah. Our employees have a very similar response, 206 00:07:26,844 --> 00:07:28,685 so much of the the survey that you 207 00:07:28,685 --> 00:07:29,185 mentioned. 208 00:07:29,644 --> 00:07:32,444 It's clear that our employees also care about 209 00:07:32,444 --> 00:07:33,264 climate change, 210 00:07:33,580 --> 00:07:35,580 And most of them feel that we as 211 00:07:35,580 --> 00:07:36,319 an institution 212 00:07:37,020 --> 00:07:38,560 should try to address this. 213 00:07:39,100 --> 00:07:41,660 And in fact, in 2023, 214 00:07:41,660 --> 00:07:44,319 Mass General Hospital offered education 215 00:07:44,620 --> 00:07:47,199 on climate change and health care sustainability 216 00:07:47,794 --> 00:07:49,415 as one of our biannual 217 00:07:49,875 --> 00:07:51,495 quality incentive measures. 218 00:07:52,274 --> 00:07:54,675 And while this training was optional, we had 219 00:07:54,675 --> 00:07:55,654 over ninety 220 00:07:56,035 --> 00:07:58,294 five percent of our clinicians, 221 00:07:59,154 --> 00:08:02,454 do this optional training. So over 2,400 222 00:08:02,789 --> 00:08:03,289 clinicians. 223 00:08:04,229 --> 00:08:06,470 And we actually did survey them, and the 224 00:08:06,470 --> 00:08:09,110 vast majority felt that the this type of 225 00:08:09,110 --> 00:08:12,310 training was very relevant to both their personal 226 00:08:12,310 --> 00:08:13,370 lives, but also 227 00:08:13,909 --> 00:08:15,289 their clinical practice, 228 00:08:15,714 --> 00:08:17,475 Because we do see how climate change is 229 00:08:17,475 --> 00:08:20,454 affecting patients and how it can actually interfere 230 00:08:20,675 --> 00:08:22,615 also with our health care delivery. 231 00:08:23,475 --> 00:08:25,714 So, we had a lot of feedback from 232 00:08:25,714 --> 00:08:27,875 these physicians that took the training that they 233 00:08:27,875 --> 00:08:30,055 were very grateful for this education. 234 00:08:30,529 --> 00:08:32,210 And they were also very grateful for the 235 00:08:32,210 --> 00:08:35,009 steps that Mass General Brigham was taking. And, 236 00:08:35,250 --> 00:08:37,169 you can actually refer to more details on 237 00:08:37,169 --> 00:08:39,410 that study if your audience is interested. It 238 00:08:39,410 --> 00:08:41,490 was published our findings are published in the 239 00:08:41,490 --> 00:08:43,029 JAMA network open 240 00:08:43,394 --> 00:08:44,134 last year. 241 00:08:45,075 --> 00:08:46,754 So and the other thing I'll just mention 242 00:08:46,754 --> 00:08:48,355 is that we are also trying to do 243 00:08:48,355 --> 00:08:51,475 more education, not just within our own facility, 244 00:08:51,475 --> 00:08:54,514 but share the expertise that some of our 245 00:08:54,514 --> 00:08:56,695 colleagues offer from Mass General Brigham. 246 00:08:57,019 --> 00:08:59,500 So Greg and I are also launching a 247 00:08:59,500 --> 00:09:00,000 sustainability 248 00:09:00,379 --> 00:09:02,960 course, called Pathways to Net Zero. 249 00:09:03,419 --> 00:09:05,200 It's coming up. It's a half day 250 00:09:05,580 --> 00:09:08,080 live virtual course on November 5. 251 00:09:08,460 --> 00:09:10,399 And as I mentioned, many of our colleagues, 252 00:09:10,539 --> 00:09:14,194 leading experts across disciplines will be speaking. And 253 00:09:14,194 --> 00:09:15,495 it's designed to educate 254 00:09:15,875 --> 00:09:17,574 about creating a more sustainable 255 00:09:17,875 --> 00:09:20,375 healthcare system. And it's open to everybody, 256 00:09:21,154 --> 00:09:21,634 staff, 257 00:09:22,034 --> 00:09:24,914 executives, administrators, clinicians. And so, we do hope 258 00:09:24,914 --> 00:09:27,639 you'll join us. But I also wanna mention 259 00:09:27,639 --> 00:09:29,800 that it's just not Mass General Brigham is 260 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:31,259 paying attention to the staff, 261 00:09:31,879 --> 00:09:34,200 and health care systems more broadly, but also 262 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:35,720 to our to our patients. We have a 263 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:38,139 number of initiatives that try to address 264 00:09:38,714 --> 00:09:41,274 climate change and it's how it's affecting our 265 00:09:41,274 --> 00:09:42,014 own patients. 266 00:09:42,394 --> 00:09:44,634 So some of the initiatives I'll mention is 267 00:09:44,634 --> 00:09:47,434 an AI tool that's, a project that's done 268 00:09:47,434 --> 00:09:49,214 in collaboration with IBM. 269 00:09:49,834 --> 00:09:52,910 And it's, to help identify our patients who 270 00:09:52,910 --> 00:09:54,370 are most vulnerable 271 00:09:54,670 --> 00:09:57,389 to extreme heat and ensuring that they are 272 00:09:57,389 --> 00:09:59,389 aware of the resources to help keep them 273 00:09:59,389 --> 00:09:59,889 safe. 274 00:10:00,430 --> 00:10:03,730 And most recently, we just completed our community 275 00:10:03,790 --> 00:10:06,370 health needs assessment, which is a survey conducted 276 00:10:06,430 --> 00:10:08,975 across all of our Mass General Brigham hospitals. 277 00:10:09,434 --> 00:10:10,875 And we did, include, 278 00:10:12,154 --> 00:10:12,654 investigations 279 00:10:13,034 --> 00:10:15,434 to try to understand better how climate change 280 00:10:15,434 --> 00:10:17,914 and pollution is affecting the communities that we 281 00:10:17,914 --> 00:10:18,414 serve. 282 00:10:19,329 --> 00:10:21,730 Yeah. Thank you, doctor Aman. Well, that 95% 283 00:10:21,730 --> 00:10:24,370 on an optional training, that's impressive. It's good 284 00:10:24,370 --> 00:10:24,950 to hear. 285 00:10:25,490 --> 00:10:27,409 And I imagine there's, like, a a recruitment 286 00:10:27,409 --> 00:10:29,730 and retention aspects to that too just, you 287 00:10:29,730 --> 00:10:32,289 know, based on those survey numbers and being 288 00:10:32,289 --> 00:10:33,794 able to to be directly involved 289 00:10:44,355 --> 00:10:47,669 reducing the health systems environmental footprint so far? 290 00:10:47,909 --> 00:10:50,389 Do you have any estimates on savings achieved 291 00:10:50,389 --> 00:10:53,669 through these efforts or other measures and lenses 292 00:10:53,669 --> 00:10:56,329 that you're you're trying to gauge, you know, 293 00:10:56,389 --> 00:10:58,070 how big of an impact these efforts are 294 00:10:58,070 --> 00:10:58,570 having? 295 00:10:59,909 --> 00:11:00,809 Yeah. So 296 00:11:01,524 --> 00:11:03,524 I think it may you may not be 297 00:11:03,524 --> 00:11:05,684 surprised to hear based on what we've discussed 298 00:11:05,684 --> 00:11:07,764 earlier that really kind of our work around 299 00:11:07,764 --> 00:11:10,404 energy has been where we've achieved probably the 300 00:11:10,404 --> 00:11:11,144 most savings. 301 00:11:11,524 --> 00:11:14,120 I'll also say it's the easiest to quantify. 302 00:11:14,419 --> 00:11:14,899 So, 303 00:11:15,299 --> 00:11:18,440 we can directly measure our emissions from energy 304 00:11:19,539 --> 00:11:20,039 consumption, 305 00:11:20,660 --> 00:11:21,160 whereas 306 00:11:21,620 --> 00:11:23,379 some of the other aspects of health care 307 00:11:23,379 --> 00:11:25,940 sustainability are are can be more difficult to 308 00:11:25,940 --> 00:11:26,440 quantify. 309 00:11:27,059 --> 00:11:29,240 But in terms of our energy, so 310 00:11:30,235 --> 00:11:32,815 I mentioned there, there are essentially three components 311 00:11:33,034 --> 00:11:33,855 to achieving 312 00:11:35,274 --> 00:11:38,235 reductions and emissions related to our energy consumption. 313 00:11:38,235 --> 00:11:40,654 One is through, really through energy conservation. 314 00:11:42,330 --> 00:11:44,809 And and then the other is through production 315 00:11:44,809 --> 00:11:47,389 of renewable energy and purchasing renewable energy. 316 00:11:47,929 --> 00:11:49,870 At this point in time, National Brigham 317 00:11:50,889 --> 00:11:52,269 gets about 80% 318 00:11:52,330 --> 00:11:54,970 of its electricity from renewable resources. So we've 319 00:11:54,970 --> 00:11:56,669 invested heavily in in 320 00:11:57,654 --> 00:12:00,215 in purchasing renewable energy. We would actually be 321 00:12:00,215 --> 00:12:01,995 probably closer to a 100% 322 00:12:02,134 --> 00:12:04,295 if we weren't locked into some longest term 323 00:12:04,295 --> 00:12:06,795 contracts with certain, utility suppliers 324 00:12:07,175 --> 00:12:08,774 that prevent us from being able to do 325 00:12:08,774 --> 00:12:10,769 that. So we've made a commitment to this, 326 00:12:10,850 --> 00:12:12,309 and that's had a really dramatic, 327 00:12:12,769 --> 00:12:15,990 impact on reducing emissions from our electricity 328 00:12:16,290 --> 00:12:16,790 consumption. 329 00:12:17,250 --> 00:12:18,389 I mentioned before 330 00:12:18,929 --> 00:12:22,050 our strategic energy master plans, which each of 331 00:12:22,050 --> 00:12:23,990 which really kind of emphasize 332 00:12:24,865 --> 00:12:26,565 those three kind of elements. 333 00:12:27,745 --> 00:12:29,924 And so most recently, 334 00:12:30,304 --> 00:12:32,705 this is the strategic energy master plan that 335 00:12:32,705 --> 00:12:33,605 we've been implementing 336 00:12:34,065 --> 00:12:36,304 over the past four years has basically included 337 00:12:36,304 --> 00:12:37,825 about a 122 338 00:12:37,825 --> 00:12:38,325 energy 339 00:12:38,785 --> 00:12:40,085 conservation projects, 340 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:41,059 and 341 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:42,080 that's essentially, 342 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:45,120 achieved an annual net emissions reduction of about 343 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:46,000 39,000,000 344 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,160 pounds of c o two. That's really kind 345 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:50,500 of the the same amount of emissions, 346 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:53,679 or same the emissions that would be generated 347 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:56,105 by about 15,000 cars driven for a year. 348 00:12:56,105 --> 00:12:59,384 So really substantial savings. And I think what's 349 00:12:59,384 --> 00:13:01,485 most impressive and perhaps most compelling 350 00:13:02,024 --> 00:13:03,324 to, like, to, 351 00:13:03,704 --> 00:13:06,184 leadership is the financial savings that are achieved 352 00:13:06,184 --> 00:13:08,985 with that. So we've reduced our our energy 353 00:13:08,985 --> 00:13:09,485 costs 354 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,879 annually by about $4,300,000 355 00:13:12,879 --> 00:13:14,340 as a consequence of, 356 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:16,580 implementing these types of programs. 357 00:13:17,279 --> 00:13:19,200 I did mention before that it's not we're 358 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:21,220 not just working in energy space. 359 00:13:22,295 --> 00:13:24,555 For example, I mentioned anesthesia. 360 00:13:25,175 --> 00:13:27,095 What we know is that many health systems 361 00:13:27,095 --> 00:13:30,875 use nitrous ox nitrous oxide and in anesthesia, 362 00:13:31,975 --> 00:13:35,035 many health systems use what's called a centralized 363 00:13:35,095 --> 00:13:37,820 system. So there's a big tank, in one 364 00:13:37,879 --> 00:13:38,379 location 365 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:40,300 that gets piped to the, 366 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:43,100 ORs and other places where we are using 367 00:13:43,399 --> 00:13:45,559 nitrous oxide, and it turns out that those 368 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:46,059 systems 369 00:13:46,519 --> 00:13:49,399 leak a lot. Like, 90% or more of 370 00:13:49,399 --> 00:13:51,399 the nitrous oxide is just leaking in the 371 00:13:51,399 --> 00:13:51,899 system. 372 00:13:52,315 --> 00:13:54,795 And so, at one of our hospitals, we 373 00:13:54,795 --> 00:13:55,455 have essentially 374 00:13:55,835 --> 00:13:58,154 decommissioned that centralized system and moved to a 375 00:13:58,154 --> 00:13:59,375 different way of supplying 376 00:13:59,754 --> 00:14:02,815 nitrous oxide. So that's resulted in, 377 00:14:03,195 --> 00:14:05,490 like, really, like, huge savings in the amount 378 00:14:05,490 --> 00:14:07,570 of nitrous oxide that's being released into the 379 00:14:07,570 --> 00:14:08,070 atmosphere. 380 00:14:08,610 --> 00:14:11,090 And, similarly, there are other anesthetic gases that 381 00:14:11,090 --> 00:14:12,769 have a big impact on the climate as 382 00:14:12,769 --> 00:14:15,170 well. And through concerted efforts just to change 383 00:14:15,170 --> 00:14:18,230 clinical practice, we've been able to dramatically reduce, 384 00:14:18,529 --> 00:14:21,184 the amount of certainly the most potent greenhouse 385 00:14:21,245 --> 00:14:21,725 gases, 386 00:14:22,204 --> 00:14:24,764 that are also anesthetic gases in a really 387 00:14:24,764 --> 00:14:26,845 meaningful way. There are other things that we're 388 00:14:26,845 --> 00:14:28,764 working on that I think are having impact. 389 00:14:28,764 --> 00:14:30,384 We have a very large reprogrammer 390 00:14:31,164 --> 00:14:32,304 purchasing reprocess 391 00:14:32,709 --> 00:14:35,209 single use devices as we talked about before. 392 00:14:35,589 --> 00:14:37,909 And increasingly, we're working with our supply chain 393 00:14:37,909 --> 00:14:40,970 partners to identify opportunities there to, 394 00:14:41,350 --> 00:14:44,389 reduce emissions associated with our supply chain, which 395 00:14:44,389 --> 00:14:46,789 we know is the largest single contributor to 396 00:14:46,789 --> 00:14:50,274 our overall environmental footprint. And so that means 397 00:14:50,274 --> 00:14:52,995 working with suppliers to identify products that, 398 00:14:53,714 --> 00:14:55,174 that have a smaller environmental 399 00:14:55,714 --> 00:14:56,214 footprint 400 00:14:56,514 --> 00:14:57,815 that we can choose preferentially 401 00:14:58,195 --> 00:14:58,674 over, 402 00:14:59,315 --> 00:15:00,214 over alternatives. 403 00:15:00,990 --> 00:15:02,990 The and then there I would say there 404 00:15:02,990 --> 00:15:03,730 are other 405 00:15:04,269 --> 00:15:06,289 aspects of this that are harder to quantify 406 00:15:06,350 --> 00:15:07,250 and weren't necessarily 407 00:15:08,190 --> 00:15:11,230 implemented specifically because they were seen as, 408 00:15:12,190 --> 00:15:12,690 sustainability 409 00:15:13,149 --> 00:15:15,250 strategies. But, certainly, for example, 410 00:15:15,629 --> 00:15:16,370 the dramatic 411 00:15:16,804 --> 00:15:19,365 shift to telehealth and virtual care that occurred 412 00:15:19,365 --> 00:15:22,584 in the pandemic is associated with really substantial 413 00:15:22,884 --> 00:15:24,424 savings in emissions. 414 00:15:24,964 --> 00:15:27,845 We know that that patient and staff travel 415 00:15:27,845 --> 00:15:30,679 to and from our facilities is a relatively 416 00:15:30,740 --> 00:15:33,639 substantial contributor to our overall environmental footprint. 417 00:15:34,019 --> 00:15:36,500 And so I think it emphasizes that there 418 00:15:36,659 --> 00:15:38,120 these other ways in which 419 00:15:38,820 --> 00:15:41,139 the rethinking the way we deliver clinical care 420 00:15:41,139 --> 00:15:42,840 can can result in substantial, 421 00:15:44,235 --> 00:15:44,735 emission 422 00:15:45,355 --> 00:15:45,855 savings. 423 00:15:46,475 --> 00:15:48,875 Yeah. Thank you, doctor Furey. Interesting to hear, 424 00:15:49,274 --> 00:15:51,754 especially just around kind of that transition you 425 00:15:51,754 --> 00:15:54,174 were mentioning from energy into the more clinical 426 00:15:54,235 --> 00:15:56,009 space too and what's happening with, 427 00:15:56,970 --> 00:15:59,049 the anesthesia gases. And I think we did 428 00:15:59,049 --> 00:16:01,129 some coverage earlier this year too on more 429 00:16:01,129 --> 00:16:03,850 health systems phasing out dust fluorine and that 430 00:16:03,850 --> 00:16:04,250 being, 431 00:16:04,730 --> 00:16:06,190 an impact that has 432 00:16:06,570 --> 00:16:08,889 engaged a lot of clinicians have been engaged 433 00:16:08,889 --> 00:16:11,095 with too. That leads me to to my 434 00:16:11,095 --> 00:16:14,054 next question. I think sometimes it can be 435 00:16:14,054 --> 00:16:17,014 easy for employees to feel a bit removed 436 00:16:17,014 --> 00:16:19,334 from some of the work historically, especially when 437 00:16:19,334 --> 00:16:22,075 when it's focused more on infrastructure energy. 438 00:16:23,570 --> 00:16:25,330 So how does can you expand a little 439 00:16:25,330 --> 00:16:26,309 bit on how sustainability 440 00:16:26,690 --> 00:16:28,289 shows up on the ground in the day 441 00:16:28,289 --> 00:16:31,830 to day experience, perhaps for clinicians and staff? 442 00:16:33,009 --> 00:16:34,769 I'd be happy to answer that. And actually, 443 00:16:34,769 --> 00:16:36,370 I feel like this is a wonderful segue 444 00:16:36,370 --> 00:16:38,845 from the last conversation about how staff really 445 00:16:38,845 --> 00:16:39,985 do care about this. 446 00:16:40,524 --> 00:16:42,684 Many of our staff do feel very passionate 447 00:16:42,684 --> 00:16:44,845 about this issue, and they really want to 448 00:16:44,845 --> 00:16:45,585 be involved 449 00:16:46,045 --> 00:16:48,365 in sustainability efforts on a day to day 450 00:16:48,365 --> 00:16:51,105 level. So, I'd love to share some examples 451 00:16:52,779 --> 00:16:55,899 from across the different departments, some stories that 452 00:16:55,899 --> 00:16:56,639 have been, 453 00:16:57,100 --> 00:16:59,120 I think, really powerful and 454 00:16:59,820 --> 00:17:00,639 very impactful. 455 00:17:01,259 --> 00:17:04,080 For example, we did have a recent surgery 456 00:17:04,140 --> 00:17:06,480 resident who spearheaded an initiative 457 00:17:07,125 --> 00:17:09,605 called watching our waste. And it was a 458 00:17:09,605 --> 00:17:12,265 project aimed to minimize the contamination 459 00:17:12,884 --> 00:17:16,164 of regulated medical waste, which many people think 460 00:17:16,164 --> 00:17:18,724 of as red bag waste. It's waste that 461 00:17:18,724 --> 00:17:20,724 is potentially infectious. And so it has to 462 00:17:20,724 --> 00:17:21,865 be treated differently. 463 00:17:22,529 --> 00:17:24,289 And so, because of that, it's much more 464 00:17:24,289 --> 00:17:25,190 costly financially, 465 00:17:25,730 --> 00:17:27,590 but also has a much larger, 466 00:17:28,049 --> 00:17:29,190 emissions footprint, 467 00:17:29,730 --> 00:17:31,650 up to five to 10 times more on 468 00:17:31,650 --> 00:17:35,090 both fronts. So, that was, something that, one 469 00:17:35,090 --> 00:17:36,230 of our surgical residents 470 00:17:44,884 --> 00:17:45,384 waste. 471 00:17:46,805 --> 00:17:47,625 Our environmental 472 00:17:47,924 --> 00:17:50,789 services team paired up with our perioperative 473 00:17:51,890 --> 00:17:54,549 team and tried to work on repurposing 474 00:17:55,330 --> 00:17:57,269 or upcycling our Blu wrap. 475 00:17:57,890 --> 00:18:00,630 So Blu wrap is that very tough plastic 476 00:18:01,724 --> 00:18:03,825 wrapping that is used to protect 477 00:18:04,365 --> 00:18:06,785 surgical instruments and help keep them sterile. 478 00:18:07,325 --> 00:18:09,644 When they're in landfill, they essentially do not 479 00:18:09,644 --> 00:18:13,904 degrade. And this plastic wrap generates about 7% 480 00:18:13,964 --> 00:18:15,424 of our hospital waste. 481 00:18:15,950 --> 00:18:19,009 So they were able to work together, environmental 482 00:18:19,069 --> 00:18:21,730 services, with the clinical teams to try to 483 00:18:21,789 --> 00:18:23,970 use a third party vendor and 484 00:18:24,829 --> 00:18:27,390 divert this blue wrap where it's upcycled into 485 00:18:27,390 --> 00:18:28,804 things like bags 486 00:18:29,264 --> 00:18:30,384 and other types of, 487 00:18:31,825 --> 00:18:32,404 of, actual 488 00:18:32,865 --> 00:18:33,365 products. 489 00:18:35,024 --> 00:18:38,065 Our nutrition food services team has also done 490 00:18:38,065 --> 00:18:41,359 a number of things. They they are at 491 00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:43,359 Mass General. They serve a lot of meals. 492 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:44,980 Our hospital kitchen 493 00:18:45,519 --> 00:18:47,440 serves more than 30,000 494 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:50,559 meals a day. That's our staff, our patients, 495 00:18:50,559 --> 00:18:51,539 and their families. 496 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:53,700 So in the years, 497 00:18:54,384 --> 00:18:56,384 in most recent years, there have been growing 498 00:18:56,384 --> 00:18:58,724 numbers of plant based meal options. 499 00:18:59,265 --> 00:19:02,065 Our chicken has been antibiotic free for quite 500 00:19:02,065 --> 00:19:04,005 some time. And the cafeteria 501 00:19:04,464 --> 00:19:05,765 diverts the food waste 502 00:19:06,269 --> 00:19:09,330 into a composting that is then actually converted 503 00:19:09,390 --> 00:19:10,210 to energy 504 00:19:10,910 --> 00:19:13,730 through an anaerobic digestion process. 505 00:19:14,430 --> 00:19:16,590 And I'll make one more story I'll just 506 00:19:16,590 --> 00:19:18,670 share which is actually just happening right now 507 00:19:18,670 --> 00:19:20,535 because it's flu season coming up. 508 00:19:21,174 --> 00:19:22,154 Our occupational 509 00:19:22,535 --> 00:19:23,734 health services is, 510 00:19:25,494 --> 00:19:29,015 leading a campaign to educate staff on both 511 00:19:29,015 --> 00:19:31,755 proper hand hygiene before giving vaccines, 512 00:19:32,215 --> 00:19:32,955 but also 513 00:19:33,539 --> 00:19:36,119 proper decisions about glove use because 514 00:19:36,820 --> 00:19:40,180 the gloves are not required for most routine 515 00:19:40,180 --> 00:19:40,680 vaccines. 516 00:19:41,140 --> 00:19:42,580 And we use a lot of gloves. So 517 00:19:42,580 --> 00:19:44,980 in our hospital in one year, we in 518 00:19:44,980 --> 00:19:46,500 our system in one year, we had about 519 00:19:46,500 --> 00:19:48,039 184,000,000 520 00:19:48,340 --> 00:19:48,840 gloves, 521 00:19:49,375 --> 00:19:51,794 exam gloves that were used. And so, 522 00:19:52,335 --> 00:19:54,734 you can see from these stories from clinical 523 00:19:54,734 --> 00:19:57,794 departments to nonclinical departments, people are working together, 524 00:19:57,855 --> 00:19:58,355 collaborating 525 00:19:58,894 --> 00:20:01,054 on, initiatives that make a difference on a 526 00:20:01,054 --> 00:20:02,035 day to day basis. 527 00:20:03,049 --> 00:20:05,130 Yeah. Thanks for help painting that picture. Helpful 528 00:20:05,130 --> 00:20:06,349 examples to hear. 529 00:20:06,809 --> 00:20:08,650 Well, to close us out, I would love 530 00:20:08,650 --> 00:20:10,269 to hear just some advice, 531 00:20:11,450 --> 00:20:13,450 from each of you. I think, obviously, you 532 00:20:13,450 --> 00:20:15,470 both know no shortage of immediate 533 00:20:15,795 --> 00:20:18,515 tangible issues that health systems are navigating right 534 00:20:18,515 --> 00:20:21,715 now, whether it's related to financial pressure, staffing 535 00:20:21,715 --> 00:20:22,215 shortages, 536 00:20:22,914 --> 00:20:24,775 navigating all of the shifting policies. 537 00:20:25,315 --> 00:20:27,715 What advice might you give to colleagues at 538 00:20:27,715 --> 00:20:30,759 hospitals and health systems that are in the 539 00:20:30,759 --> 00:20:32,380 infancy of their sustainability 540 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,400 journey, particularly when it comes to getting the 541 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,200 ear of their executive peers who might not 542 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:40,859 be seeing climate as a tangible or urgent 543 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:41,420 issue? 544 00:20:42,755 --> 00:20:44,855 I'm happy to start with a couple thoughts. 545 00:20:44,914 --> 00:20:47,075 I think one of the main messages to 546 00:20:47,075 --> 00:20:49,734 repeat over and over again is that sustainability 547 00:20:49,954 --> 00:20:52,835 is really aligned with our mission in the 548 00:20:52,835 --> 00:20:54,134 health care sector, 549 00:20:54,700 --> 00:20:58,080 because climate change does have very dire consequences 550 00:20:58,220 --> 00:20:59,200 for public health. 551 00:20:59,580 --> 00:21:00,400 And sustainability 552 00:21:00,700 --> 00:21:04,380 actually will strengthen our operational resilience over time. 553 00:21:04,380 --> 00:21:07,285 So I think it's, it's not I think 554 00:21:07,285 --> 00:21:09,605 it shouldn't be thought of as a burden 555 00:21:09,605 --> 00:21:11,545 or cost, but really something that we 556 00:21:12,085 --> 00:21:13,765 as an imperative and it is aligned with 557 00:21:13,765 --> 00:21:15,144 our mission. And 558 00:21:16,085 --> 00:21:17,305 as a follow-up to that, 559 00:21:17,684 --> 00:21:20,565 that many of the initiatives actually offer return 560 00:21:20,565 --> 00:21:22,505 on investment because it's cutting 561 00:21:22,970 --> 00:21:25,210 waste and cost and it becomes more efficient. 562 00:21:25,210 --> 00:21:26,990 So actually, there are multiple 563 00:21:27,369 --> 00:21:30,029 benefits with, many of these initiatives. 564 00:21:30,730 --> 00:21:32,330 And then the last thing I'll say and 565 00:21:32,330 --> 00:21:34,650 I'll pass it over to Greg, is to 566 00:21:34,650 --> 00:21:35,630 just really 567 00:21:35,930 --> 00:21:37,309 start with easy wins, 568 00:21:38,154 --> 00:21:41,055 things that are low cost or staff led, 569 00:21:41,275 --> 00:21:43,755 but also share those success stories because I 570 00:21:43,755 --> 00:21:46,095 think that really does propel 571 00:21:46,634 --> 00:21:48,654 the culture and the excitement 572 00:21:49,035 --> 00:21:52,154 and the the acceptance of of, these types 573 00:21:52,154 --> 00:21:52,815 of initiatives. 574 00:21:53,970 --> 00:21:56,769 I agree with everything that Winnie just said. 575 00:21:56,769 --> 00:21:58,929 I I will build upon it a little 576 00:21:58,929 --> 00:22:01,089 bit, I think, and then come back to 577 00:22:01,089 --> 00:22:03,829 this idea of confronting all of these pressures 578 00:22:03,890 --> 00:22:04,390 simultaneously. 579 00:22:05,569 --> 00:22:06,069 And 580 00:22:06,769 --> 00:22:08,690 I think to follow-up what Winnie said, it's 581 00:22:08,769 --> 00:22:08,929 it 582 00:22:10,265 --> 00:22:11,244 In many situations, 583 00:22:12,585 --> 00:22:16,044 sustainability initiatives are aligned with our other priorities. 584 00:22:16,345 --> 00:22:18,444 So I talked a lot about how, 585 00:22:19,065 --> 00:22:20,765 our investments in energy, 586 00:22:22,210 --> 00:22:24,630 conservation and using renewable energy 587 00:22:25,009 --> 00:22:27,669 have really resulted in substantial cost savings. 588 00:22:28,450 --> 00:22:29,909 And so, similarly, 589 00:22:30,769 --> 00:22:33,009 when we buy reprocessed goods, not only is 590 00:22:33,009 --> 00:22:35,329 that reducing the environmental impact of the products 591 00:22:35,329 --> 00:22:37,335 that we're using, but it's also saving us 592 00:22:37,414 --> 00:22:39,595 money. So there are a lot of financial 593 00:22:39,654 --> 00:22:40,154 opportunities, 594 00:22:41,575 --> 00:22:42,474 to be had 595 00:22:43,095 --> 00:22:45,494 as they relate to sustainability initiatives. That's not 596 00:22:45,494 --> 00:22:48,054 true for everything, but it's a if for 597 00:22:48,054 --> 00:22:49,974 health system that are just getting started with 598 00:22:49,974 --> 00:22:52,259 it, there's a that can be a really 599 00:22:52,259 --> 00:22:53,240 compelling argument. 600 00:22:53,940 --> 00:22:55,859 I also think it aligns with other types 601 00:22:55,859 --> 00:22:58,119 of priorities. A big one is just quality. 602 00:22:58,259 --> 00:23:00,579 So everything we do in medicine is associated 603 00:23:00,579 --> 00:23:03,140 with some sort of environmental impact. So for 604 00:23:03,140 --> 00:23:05,240 systems who are interested in 605 00:23:06,144 --> 00:23:08,565 also kind of reducing low value care, 606 00:23:09,265 --> 00:23:12,625 bringing the sustainability perspective into it aligns closely 607 00:23:12,625 --> 00:23:14,304 with that. Right? So if we can reduce 608 00:23:14,304 --> 00:23:16,224 the amount of health care services that we're 609 00:23:16,224 --> 00:23:17,765 delivering that are having minimal 610 00:23:18,545 --> 00:23:20,640 minimal benefit for our patients, not only does 611 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:22,980 that save money, but it also eliminates avoidable 612 00:23:23,039 --> 00:23:26,320 environmental harm. I think resiliency is another great 613 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,019 example. So during the pandemic, 614 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:31,220 we have about 13 kind of hospitals, 615 00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:32,980 that are part of our network. 616 00:23:33,704 --> 00:23:35,085 At the beginning of the pandemic, 617 00:23:35,625 --> 00:23:36,684 and still today, 618 00:23:37,384 --> 00:23:40,444 12 of those 13 hospitals were using 619 00:23:41,224 --> 00:23:42,365 single use disposable 620 00:23:42,904 --> 00:23:45,164 isolation gowns for contact precautions. 621 00:23:46,025 --> 00:23:48,184 The pandemic hit, and as I'm sure most 622 00:23:48,184 --> 00:23:50,240 people remember, there was a dramatic 623 00:23:50,779 --> 00:23:52,400 increase in the demand for, 624 00:23:53,099 --> 00:23:53,599 PPE. 625 00:23:54,220 --> 00:23:56,220 It was really hard to meet that. Our 626 00:23:56,220 --> 00:23:58,720 one hospital that had never switched to using 627 00:23:59,339 --> 00:24:01,359 disposable gowns and was just using 628 00:24:01,660 --> 00:24:02,160 laundable 629 00:24:02,539 --> 00:24:03,680 isolation gowns 630 00:24:04,174 --> 00:24:06,974 just weathered that storm without any problem. And 631 00:24:06,974 --> 00:24:07,474 so, 632 00:24:08,575 --> 00:24:11,394 many sustainable solutions are also kind of resiliency 633 00:24:11,694 --> 00:24:12,914 strategies, and 634 00:24:13,294 --> 00:24:15,855 I think that's an important message, particularly as 635 00:24:15,855 --> 00:24:17,775 increasingly we were confronted with, 636 00:24:18,549 --> 00:24:21,289 these these challenges to either our supply chain, 637 00:24:21,829 --> 00:24:24,869 or other kind of resilience or other challenges 638 00:24:24,869 --> 00:24:25,690 to our resilience. 639 00:24:26,710 --> 00:24:28,549 And then I think Wendy's kind of already 640 00:24:28,549 --> 00:24:30,230 alluded to this, but the alignment with just 641 00:24:30,230 --> 00:24:30,890 kind of 642 00:24:31,195 --> 00:24:33,434 workforce morale, we hear a lot about burnout 643 00:24:33,434 --> 00:24:35,434 in the workplace. This is an issue that 644 00:24:35,434 --> 00:24:37,515 people care about, and I think working for 645 00:24:37,515 --> 00:24:38,255 an institution 646 00:24:38,555 --> 00:24:40,974 that they know also prioritizes this 647 00:24:42,075 --> 00:24:42,394 is, 648 00:24:42,955 --> 00:24:45,615 is really helpful for workforce retention. 649 00:24:46,099 --> 00:24:46,599 So 650 00:24:46,980 --> 00:24:48,359 I think, you know, 651 00:24:48,900 --> 00:24:50,740 there there are a number of different ways 652 00:24:50,740 --> 00:24:52,820 in which health systems can really begin to 653 00:24:52,820 --> 00:24:55,220 to begin their sustainability journey, but many of 654 00:24:55,220 --> 00:24:56,900 them do not need to be in direct 655 00:24:56,900 --> 00:24:58,839 opposition to other institutional 656 00:24:59,299 --> 00:24:59,799 priorities. 657 00:25:01,164 --> 00:25:03,664 Yeah. I think really interesting point just around 658 00:25:03,724 --> 00:25:07,085 the resiliency strategy piece too. It sounds like 659 00:25:07,085 --> 00:25:08,924 awareness is a key part of of this 660 00:25:08,924 --> 00:25:09,904 work and educating, 661 00:25:10,765 --> 00:25:12,305 peers and leaders as well. 662 00:25:13,259 --> 00:25:15,740 Well, doctor Armond and doctor Furey, thank you 663 00:25:15,740 --> 00:25:18,380 both so much for joining me for this 664 00:25:18,380 --> 00:25:19,359 conversation today. 665 00:25:19,660 --> 00:25:21,099 Thank you so much for having us. I 666 00:25:21,099 --> 00:25:23,420 appreciate it. Yeah. Thank you. That was really 667 00:25:23,420 --> 00:25:25,200 fun. I appreciate your time. 668 00:25:25,705 --> 00:25:28,525 Yeah. And listeners, thank you for tuning in. 669 00:25:28,825 --> 00:25:32,125 To access more episodes of the Becker's healthcare 670 00:25:32,184 --> 00:25:35,144 podcast, please visit the podcast page on our 671 00:25:35,144 --> 00:25:38,525 website at beckershospitalreview.com. 672 00:25:38,664 --> 00:25:39,565 Thanks, everyone.