Office of Sustainability
Helping Balance Community, Environmental & Economic Health
“We put the patient at the center of everything we do, and part of that commitment means doing the same for our planet. We have long concentrated on the environment, but we have now established a dedicated Office of Sustainability to focus our commitment. This systemwide effort - led by Edward Jones as the executive sponsor and Jason Fischer as our inaugural director of the Office of Sustainability - will accelerate how we can work toward real change.” Read More (PDF) →
— Dr. Marc Boom, President & CEO of Houston Methodist
Our Mission
Sustainability at Houston Methodist is the responsible use of resources to conserve the environment and protect health and well-being. Our goal is to support sustainability efforts that balance community, environmental and economic health.
Our mission is to ensure the responsible use of resources to conserve the environment in support of protecting the health and well-being of our employees, patients, families and communities. By focusing on environment-, emissions-, waste- and water-based projects, we will drive results through employee and community engagement; introspective analysis; actionable roadmaps; and strategic, non-profit, industry and governmental partnerships.
Our priorities for 2024-2026 include:
- Engaging Key Stakeholders
- Establishing Baseline Emissions
- Pursuing Sustainability Research
- Creating Robust Recycling Programs
- Supporting Energy & Resiliency Frameworks
Houston's Future: Climate Change & Health Care
The Center for Health & Nature released a groundbreaking report highlighting escalating health threats from heatstroke to mosquito-borne illness our region faces because of extreme weather. It includes recommendations to address these challenges. Collaboration within and among health systems is vital to address climate-driven medical issues.
Director of the Office of Sustainability Jason Fischer was a collaborator on this article.
The Urban Environment & Cardiometabolic Health
This article reviews current evidence on the associations between the urban exposome (totality of exposures a person experiences, including environmental, occupational, lifestyle, social and psychological factors) and cardiometabolic diseases within a systems science framework, and examines urban planning principles (e.g., connectivity, density, diversity of land use, destination accessibility and distance to transit).
Dr. Sadeer Al-Kindi, medical director for the Center for Health & Nature and a cardiologist at Houston Methodist, was a collaborator on this article.