Andrea Palm, Deputy Secretary | https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/andrea-palm.html
Today marks the two-year anniversary of the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act, a significant investment in climate protection. The act is accelerating progress toward President Biden and Vice President Harris' ambitious climate goals, which include building resiliency and reducing emissions in the health sector.
Climate change poses a threat not just to health but also to health systems. According to more than 200 medical journals, climate change is the most significant threat to human health in the 21st century. It creates both acute and chronic risks, particularly for vulnerable populations, and already costs the American economy billions of dollars annually, significantly burdening the nation’s healthcare system. The healthcare sector itself contributes to this problem, accounting for 8.5 percent of the country’s carbon emissions.
The Inflation Reduction Act provides billions of dollars for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and resilience investments that can strengthen healthcare organizations, particularly safety net healthcare organizations. These opportunities support the core mission of healthcare providers by improving emergency preparedness and lowering operating expenses. Funding opportunities from the act help providers make investments that allow them to stay open before, during, and after emergencies while reducing their own pollution levels.
For example, Boston Medical Center is using the Investment Tax Credit to help finance the Clean Power Prescription, a pilot program providing solar energy credits to patients who report difficulty affording household utility payments. The credits are generated by a 356-kilowatt (kW) solar array on Boston Medical Center's campus. Patients enrolled in the pilot receive a monthly credit on their electric bills totaling $600 over twelve months.
Valley Children’s Healthcare is using the same tax credit to finance a new microgrid that will ensure hospital operations during power outages and meet 80 percent of peak time energy needs. The microgrid is expected to cut carbon emissions by more than 50 percent from Valley Children’s 2021 baseline.
AdventHealth is utilizing the Investment Tax Credit to install a 3-megawatt solar photovoltaic system that will become one of Florida's largest privately owned solar projects. The solar canopy is expected to produce 4,200 megawatt hours per year—the equivalent annual electricity use for more than 550 U.S. homes—and will include 31 dual-port electric vehicle charging stations across its campus for team members and guests.
OhioHealth is employing the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit to finance electric vehicle charging stations that charge OhioHealth’s fleet overnight and are free for its rural community during daytime hours.
The Office of Climate Change and Health Equity shares these stories through its Catalytic Program on Utilizing the Inflation Reduction Act. This program targets outreach to safety net providers and aims to connect the health sector with opportunities that will help them save money and better serve their communities.
"We know that climate solutions are health solutions," stated ADM Rachel Levine, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health. "The Inflation Reduction Act helps the health sector play its part in achieving health equity for all."
