Perspective: Health Care Focus on Sustainability

Arash Motamed, MD, MBA, shares how sustainability efforts in health care mean better health for all patients.

As health care providers, our job is to care for patients — but it’s not enough to simply treat people episodically when they come to us with a medical problem. We have to think of the bigger picture and how our choices affect the environment where our patients live.

The health care industry in the United States is responsible for 8.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions. By burning fossil fuels and wasting resources, we’re directly contributing to factors that put people’s health at risk.

Sustainability is vital to our mission because it will improve community health in the long run, and it can be done without sacrificing the quality of patient care.

In my role as medical director for operating rooms at Keck Hospital of USC, I’m proud of the actions we’ve already taken to make our clinical operations more sustainable.

We have to think of the bigger picture and how our choices affect the environment where our patients live.

Arash Motamed, MD, MBA, medical director of sustainability

We’ve replaced two anesthetic gasses with cleaner options that provide the same excellent patient experience. We’ve also reduced medication waste and invested in a software upgrade that decreases the amount of gas wasted during procedures.

In the operating room, we’ve replaced disposable devices and materials with reusable alternatives.

We’ve worked with suppliers to ensure that supply kits include only the items we actually need. All outdoor lighting at Keck Medical Center of USC has been switched to LED.

Next steps will include developing a more structured framework to increase our efforts.

Sustainability is a collaborative mission. I’m excited about the interest and support we’ve received — from leadership, providers and patients alike.

And I’m proud that Keck Medicine of USC is leading the way in making health care greener and creating a healthier environment for all.

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