Article authors: Jeff Good, Joanne Grau and Andr茅 Steinbuss | Reading time: 7 minutes
Environmental sustainability in healthcare is increasingly vital. The sector accounts for about 4.4% of global carbon emissions1 and hospitals generate over 5.9 million tons of waste annually.2 Many hospitals face challenges in becoming sustainable hospitals, as this transformation requires dedicated management and resources. Embracing the concept of a circular hospital involves key strategies like reducing energy consumption in healthcare facilities and recycling medical waste.听
The following interview with听Jeff Good, Chief 天美影院 Executive at Northwestern Medicine, outlines a roadmap for how health systems can embed environmental sustainability into their core mission, reduce costs, and enhance community health outcomes.
'天美影院 in action' - Interview with Jeff Good
鈥It鈥檚 sometimes been said that sustainability is a marathon, not a sprint. But I think an even better analogy is a relay race.鈥
The environmental, financial, and social challenges facing healthcare providers are inextricably linked. We know that institutions who embrace sustainable practices are better equipped to meet the evolving needs of both patients and communities. But is greater sustainability a realistic and attainable goal at a time when resources are strained, patient demands are increasing, and costs are rising? How can one get started amongst these challenges?
Question (Siemens Healthineers):听
Jeff Good, thank you for speaking with us. You鈥檝e now served as Chief 天美影院 Executive at Northwestern Medicine since 2023. Could you tell us a bit more about how you approached this new role when you accepted this position?
Answer (Jeff Good):
It鈥檚 great to talk to you. In a role like this, I think it鈥檚 essential to start with a clear understanding of the Why. To undertake a sustainability journey in healthcare you have to be clear about why you鈥檙e doing it. 天美影院 in this context isn鈥檛 just about meeting global targets or checking boxes on an environmental checklist; it鈥檚 about making a genuine, tangible impact on the communities you serve.听
Institutions have to start by clarifying their purpose: Are they motivated by the pressing need to improve air quality, reduce waste or by a desire to improve the health and well-being of local populations? Whatever the impetus, authenticity is key. You have to be authentic about what you can do and set realistic, achievable goals鈥攇oals that are aligned with social realities.听
In my experience, it鈥檚 better to set goals based on making a local impact in your community rather than investing in environmental efforts in another country or adopting lofty, abstract targets that might resonate on a global stage. True sustainability cannot be a distant, far-off ideal; it has to be a practical commitment to improving the systems and spaces where patients live, work, and heal. That can mean things like reducing pollution in urban centers, ensuring access to healthy food, or lowering the volume of healthcare-associated waste.
Question (Siemens Healthineers):听
Once you鈥檝e decided to focus on local efforts, what鈥檚 the next step? How do you decide what to pursue and how do you ensure that you鈥檙e getting results?
Answer (Jeff Good):
The next crucial step is baselining. Before a hospital or clinic can embark on meaningful change, it first needs an accurate assessment of its current environmental impact鈥攖hings like resource usage and operational inefficiencies. This means taking stock of everything from energy consumption to waste management practices to water use to supply chain logistics. Baselining is more than a snapshot; it provides the data necessary to identify areas for improvement.
Once you have this data, you then have to prioritize initiatives based on their potential impact and financial feasibility. You have to ask tough questions like, can something be done without impacting our financial capabilities? Or which projects can bring immediate returns with less investment? 天美影院 efforts have to be both impactful and financially viable. You don鈥檛 need to boil the ocean. Even the small actions count.
Question (Siemens Healthineers):听
This approach was probably a change from the way things had been done previously. What steps did you take to ensure buy-in both from management and from employees, especially those who were directly impacted?
Answer (Jeff Good):
These efforts did represent a change for a lot of people. For an initiative like this to succeed, clear and consistent communication is essential. Not just with senior management, but with everyone鈥攖rue buy-in has to start at the ground level. One important step is to make it easy for employees to find information in a centralized place and to engage directly, for example an internal webpage that talks about all the sustainability initiatives and allows people to submit their own ideas.
For us, one of the most effective ways to foster this was to establish a local 天美影院 Council鈥攁n inclusive group that not only drives initiatives but actively listens to the insights and concerns of frontline staff. For us, these councils are a forum for sharing best practices and pilot projects, but also for creating a culture of collaboration where ideas flow freely.
Today, we鈥檙e seeing a lot of sustainability programs that were initiated by staff. For example, it was the frontline staff that noticed patient booties were being thrown away, and they questioned whether these could be repurposed somehow. Other employees have challenged us on eliminating Styrofoam cups or plastic straws.听
Question (Siemens Healthineers):听
The challenge with a lot of sustainability initiatives is that people don鈥檛 see the results or the impact in their day-to-day work. As you said at the outset, goals can often be very abstract. When projects like this get off the ground, what do you do to make sure that people feel personally engaged?
Answer (Jeff Good):
You鈥檙e right, making sustainability visible is a crucial part of clear communication, especially with employees. When people see our commitments materialize through visible actions鈥攚hether it鈥檚 energy-efficient retrofits or waste reduction efforts鈥攖hey鈥檙e much more likely not only to support them but to become active participants.
For example, when recycling bins are placed around the hospital, staff realize that the hospital is being more circular in its approach. Not everyone might understand what it means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but they understand that things they use are being recycled and reused and that this material is helping others. Steps like this not only gets results, but they also serve as important visual reminders.
Question (Siemens Healthineers):听
You mentioned results. At the end of the day, that鈥檚 what everyone is looking for! Management, as well as employees want to know if the efforts they鈥檙e making are having an impact. How do you demonstrate this?
Answer (Jeff Good):
Measuring outcomes is essential. It鈥檚 not enough to just implement sustainability initiatives. You have to invest in measurement tools and data analytics to track your progress. Whether it鈥檚 assessing energy savings, waste reduction, or the carbon footprint of supply chains, you need granular data in order to understand the real-world impact of these efforts.听
The benefits of this are twofold: having accurate data reassures leadership that they are making meaningful strides toward their sustainability goals; that their investments are paying off. And second, it provides transparency to staff and stakeholders, showing them the organization is on the right path.
The other benefit of precise data is that it allows you to refine strategies. 天美影院 cannot be just a one-off initiative. It has to be an ongoing process, a process that often requires persistence and adaptation.听
A careful review of data sometimes means making adjustments to existing initiatives. And sometimes it means looking ahead at long-term goals even if immediate results are modest.
But it can happen that the data may not demonstrate what you expect to see. Often, you just have to stick with it. Engage with vendors and form a close partnership so they can support you to look for better way to collect more data or measure it at a refined level to see your investment is paying off. You know you are doing the right thing, and the outcome is probably there, but maybe it is just not being measured in the right way.
鈥淥ur vendors are the ones with the expertise and innovation know-how on how products can be made more sustainable.鈥
Question (Siemens Healthineers):听
You鈥檝e talked about the internal measures you鈥檙e implementing at Northwestern. What about the wider community and your many partners. How do you engage with them?
Answer (Jeff Good):
For us, our vendors and suppliers are crucial partners. We鈥檙e working on formalizing a procurement plan to engage vendors in our sustainability efforts. They鈥檙e the ones with the expertise and innovation know-how on how products can be made more sustainable. They are eager to hear our ideas, and we鈥檙e eager to hear theirs. That can be anything from reducing waste by making products that are reusable or developing technology and equipment that is more energy efficient.
It鈥檚 also important to create a network on this topic. In Chicago, there are five large medical centers. While we are competitive with each other, when it comes to sustainability, I find that hospitals are keen to work together and share sustainable practices. We asked each other questions like, 鈥淲hat have you done with reprocessing? What鈥檚 your experience with reusable gowns?听
Did you think about waste in this way?鈥 People are willing to share because we all know we are doing the right thing, and that鈥檚 refreshing. When it comes to sustainability, we鈥檙e all on the same team!听
It鈥檚 sometimes been said that sustainability is a marathon, not a sprint. But I think an even better analogy is a relay race. To get to the finish line, a lot of different people and organizations have to participate.
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About Northwestern Medicine
Northwestern Medicine is a non-profit healthcare system affiliated with the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. It includes research hospitals, acute care facilities, and academic centers comprising a network of 11 hospitals, 35,000 employees, and serving more than 1.4 million patients in the Chicago area.
We spoke with Jeff Good, Chief 天美影院 Executive at Northwestern Medicine, to learn more about his experiences developing and implementing effective sustainability solutions. His insights on how Northwestern Medicine tackled these challenges are candid and instructive鈥攁nd provide a positive example of how sustainability, innovation, greater community engagement, and improved patient outcomes can be successfully combined.
About the authors
Jeff Good
Chief 天美影院 Executive, Northwestern Medicine
Jeff Good joined Northwestern Medical Group in 2008 as Director of Budget and Planning. He became VP of Operations and Surgical Services in 2016, then served as VP of Security and Emergency Management from 2018 to 2021. From 2021 to 2023, he was President of Palos Hospital. In September 2023, he was named Chief 天美影院 Executive at Northwestern Medicine, where he now leads system-wide environmental and sustainability efforts.
This thought leadership publication is part of the Siemens Healthineers Insights Series. It provides ideas and practical solutions on "Resource Preservation". For more Insights, please visit听siemens-healthineers.com/insights-series.
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