FROM THE FOUNDATION

End-of-Life Choices

Trends in end-of-life care show that not only does the care given vary widely from region to region and hospital to hospital, but also patients often don't get the care they prefer. What can be done?

Care Management Puzzle

Chronic diseases and the cost of care are rising. Are disease management programs improving outcomes for patients with complex, chronic conditions?

No Middleman

Under the "direct primary care" model, patients pay a monthly fee for basic medical services. Learn about the history and current landscape of physician practices offering this arrangement.

Hospitals

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Kaiser Permanente Aims To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 30%

In a statement released Tuesday, Kaiser Permanente announced that it will seek to reduce its overall greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020, compared with 2008 levels, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports (Sibley, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 2/28).

The announcement follows recent actions by the health organization to install solar generators on the roofs of 11 of its California hospitals.

Emissions

According to Kaiser, the health care industry is responsible for 8% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

In 2008, Kaiser emitted 819,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases, which increased to 837,000 metric tons in 2010.

Kaiser aims to decrease its emissions by about 264,000 metric tons annually (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 2/28).

The health care provider plans to achieve its goal by investing in renewable and clean energy sources and focusing on strategies to conserve energy (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 2/28).



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