Oregon Health Care Without Harm Campaign International Health Care Without Harm 2001-2007 Program Manager Health Care Without Harm is
an international coalition of hospitals and health care systems,
medical professionals, community groups, health-affected constituencies,
labor unions, environmental and environmental health organizations and
religious groups working to implement ecologically sound and healthy
alternatives to health care practices that pollute the environment and
contribute to disease. For six years Neha served as a steering committee
member for the international HCWH, and in 2001, she launched the Oregon
chapter in 2001. Neha assisted in developing and reviewing content for
the Health Care Without Harm tool kit:
Going Green: A Resource Kit for Pollution Prevention in Healthcare,
and collaborated with Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health
Systems to disseminate the tool kit to its members and provide
implementation support. Neha coordinated Oregon HCWH working groups in
the areas of waste management and recycling, toxic materials, healthy
food, green building and green purchasing.
Northwest Hospitals for Healthy Environment
Region 10, Environmental Protection Agency 2004-2007Coordinator With
support from the Environmental Protection Agency, Neha was selected to
develop and coordinate the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E)
Program for Northwest states including Oregon, Washington, Idaho and
Alaska. The program was successful in fostering collaboration and
developing pilot programs including a
Plastics Recycling Program for Rural Hospitals that partnered urban and rural health systems.
Practice Greenhealth 2001-2007Regional Organizer Practice Greenhealth is
the nation’s leading membership and networking organization for
institutions in the healthcare community that have made a commitment to
sustainable, eco-friendly practices. Members include hospitals,
healthcare systems, businesses and other stakeholders engaged in the
greening of healthcare to improve the health of patients, staff and the
environment. Neha has extensive experience linking the Oregon healthcare
sector to Practice Greenhealth resources and tools, including an annual
awards program to recognize outstanding achievements in improving the
healthcare industry's environmental performance. In 2008, eight
METRO-based hospitals were recognized and inducted into the
Environmental Leadership Circle, the nation’s highest environmental
honor for hospitals. Neha has also served on the selection commitee for
Practice Greenhealth’s premier awards program. Practice Greenhealth is
also a founding member of the
Green Guide for Healthcare
(GGHC). This GGHC provides the healthcare sector with a voluntary,
self-certifying metric toolkit of best practices to guide and evaluate
their progress towards high performance healing environments. Neha
recruited and provided implementation support to Oregon health systems
to utilizing the healthcare sector’s first quantifiable sustainable
design toolkit integrating enhanced environmental and health principles
and practices into the planning, design, construction, operations and
maintenance of their facilities.
Oregon Healthy Food in Health Care ProjectOregon Healthcare Without Harm 2004-2007 Coordinator This
successful initiative employs market-based forces to increase demand
for sustainably produced foods, improve hospital food quality, educate
the public, and bolster the local economy. The principal goal of the
project is to leverage the significant purchasing power and influence of
hospitals to support regional markets for fresh, sustainable food, and
to model healthy food choices to the public. Neha secured funding and
launched the project in 2006 and the effort is now managed by
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility.