Webinar: Empowering Healthcare Sustainability with Certification

Date:  5 March 2025
Host:  IHF
Topic: Certification Geneva Sustainability Centre Sustainable healthcare
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The first in a series of webinars hosted by the Geneva Sustainability Centre (GSC) and Joint Commission International (JCI), the panel will introduce participants to the new JCI–GSC Healthcare Sustainability Certification programme.

The session will set the scene on the opportunities for the sector to improve sustainability in healthcare, which not only mitigates environmental harm but also enhances the resilience and safety of healthcare systems, ensuring better patient care and outcomes. It will then give an overview of Healthcare Sustainability Certification, which was developed to advance quality of care and patient safety. 

The GSC’s Sustainability Accelerator Tool (SAT) is a core component of this certification: A comprehensive digital solution that is specifically designed for healthcare organizations to assess and improve their current performance with core indicators, tailored guidance, and benchmarking against comparable organizations worldwide.

  • Learn more about the HSC programme, including its requirements, benefits, and the steps necessary to achieve certification.
  • Gain insights to the SAT tool, showcasing its role in helping organizations evaluate and enhance sustainability practices within their healthcare facilities.
  • Engage with JCI and GSC experts in an open forum to share your initiatives related to healthcare sustainability and ask questions.

Certification encourages organizations to broaden sustainability efforts, and also fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Sign up to join the webinar to find out more and learn how your organization can get started.

Panellists

Sylvia Basterrechea

Programme Lead | Geneva Sustainability Centre

Sylvia manages strategy and engagement related to leadership for sustainability, as well as the IHF’s international framework of healthcare leadership competencies.

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The Joint Commission

Kevin Zacharyasz

Director of Healthcare Sustainability

Kevin Zacharyasz is the Director of Healthcare Sustainability at The Joint Commission. In this role, he serves as a thought leader on healthcare sustainability and...

The Joint Commission

Kevin Zacharyasz

Director of Healthcare Sustainability

Kevin Zacharyasz is the Director of Healthcare Sustainability at The Joint Commission. In this role, he serves as a thought leader on healthcare sustainability and leads initiatives across healthcare segments globally to support the Joint Commission’s mission and growth objectives around sustainability. Mr. Zacharyasz collaborates with other industry leaders to implement processes and technologies that aid in the reduction of a healthcare organization’s carbon footprint, as well as other environmental factors that impact patient health and safety.

Mr. Zacharyasz has been a leader in the sustainability field for over 10 years. His professional career has focused on a holistic approach to sustainability advisory services in energy, waste management, air quality, water conservation, and environmental justice. His career has intersected with a range of stakeholders including healthcare, utility companies, government entities, residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.

Previously, Mr. Zacharyasz was the Sustainability Program Manager for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. Earlier, he served as the Director of the Energy and Sustainability Program at the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) where he managed the nation’s only state hospital association run energy and sustainability program. Mr. Zacharyasz guided 240 hospitals and 15 health systems in Ohio to provide resources and funding opportunities to support energy and sustainability decision-making. He also facilitated the association’s Environmental Leadership Council. Under his leadership, OHA received multiple awards, including the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award and ASHE’s Energy to Care Chapter Challenge Award.

Mr. Zacharyasz holds a Master of Environmental Science (M.En.) degree from Miami University, Oxford, OH, with a focus on policy, planning, and communication.

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