OSF earns The Joint Commission sustainability certification

OSF HealthCare has received The Joint Commission sustainability certification.

This is a new system-level certification and a high priority for The Joint Commission, a national accrediting health care organization. OSF HealthCare earned the certification in the first year after The Joint Commission released the standards in January 2024.

During its survey, The Joint Commission expresses the basis of its focus on sustainability and health care decarbonization on the following:

“The repercussions of extreme heat, poor water quality, flooding, wildfires, air pollution and other unexpected environmental events are making people sicker and escalating the cost of providing care. Extreme events such as these exacerbate chronic cardiac, respiratory, and other conditions, which are especially acute for those who are at a socioeconomic, racial, ethnic or geographic disadvantage, making climate change also a health equity problem.”

The OSF survey included detailed review of sustainability and decarbonization with a deeper dive into energy and anesthetic gases. The Joint Commission reviewer indicated he had no findings and certification requirements were met or exceeded.

“There are many Mission Partners to thank who made this certification possible,” says Michael Keefe, manager of Energy and Sustainability for OSF HealthCare. “Through their work and dedication, these Mission Partners are contributing to a leaner and greener OSF. Supporting environmental stewardship and connecting the dots on why environmental sustainability is preventive medicine for our communities.”

 The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. To earn and maintain The Gold Seal of Approval® from The Joint Commission, an organization undergoes an on-site survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years (laboratories are surveyed every two years). The Joint Commission is governed by a 21-member Board of Commissioners that includes physicians, administrators, nurses, employers, quality experts, a consumer advocate and educators. The Joint Commission employs approximately 1,000 people in its surveyor force, at its central office in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, and at an office in Washington, D.C.