For many health systems, climate change is no longer just a distant issue. It is an immediate concern reshaping operational strategy and driving a push for resilience.
Nearly three-quarters of pharmacy leaders at hospitals and health systems anticipate weather-related events to interfere with operations and medication access in 2026, according to a recent report from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Health systems are already facing mounting pressures from environmental threats that have disrupted care delivery. For instance, Erik Wexler, CEO of Renton, Wash.-based Providence, has cited climate-related events such as flooding and wildfires as contributors to supply chain instability. The 51-hospital system has started baking climate risk into its long-term strategic planning — part of a broader effort to adapt amid what Mr. Wexler describes as a “polycrisis” of multiple, overlapping challenges including economic, regulatory and environmental pressures.
That focus is sharpening as the effects of climate change grow more tangible. In the summer of 2023, for instance, emergency departments in cities such as Phoenix and El Paso, Texas, reported record-breaking volumes of heat-related visits during prolonged heat waves. Meanwhile, Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, Ore., is building a new facility with an on-site tsunami shelter, designed to withstand major natural disasters and keep care accessible in the event of an environmental catastrophe.
Recruitment and retention are part of the equation, too. A 2024 Commonwealth Fund survey found 60% of clinicians consider a health system’s environmental stance when evaluating a job offer. As more healthcare workers prioritize sustainability, health systems are increasingly factoring it into their workforce strategy.
A growing number of hospitals are also creating dedicated roles to guide environmental sustainability strategy. About 40% indicated in the survey that they are working to establish positions such as chief sustainability officers. Many are also targeting waste and energy reduction — steps that not only benefit the climate, but often come with financial savings.
