Rutland Regional Medical Center Awarded Sustainable Healthcare Certification from The Joint Commission

RUTLAND, VT – Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC) has earned The Joint Commission’s Sustainable Healthcare Certification (SHC) by prioritizing environmental sustainability through decarbonization efforts. The certification demonstrates RRMC’s achievement in establishing structure, rigor and accountability to accelerate these efforts.

The healthcare industry accounts for nearly 9% of the nation’s carbon emissions. In reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, organizations commit to cost-effective and efficient operations that seek to address climate change and the impacts that climate-related events can have on individuals.

RRMC underwent a virtual review on April 20, 2026. During the review, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with related certification standards including the organization’s contribution toward global sustainability, its baselines for measuring three sources of GHG emissions and its actionable plans for reducing them.

“Sustainable Healthcare Certification recognizes healthcare organizations committed to striving for excellence and fostering continuous improvement in patient safety, quality of care and environmental sustainability,” says Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, executive vice president of Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing officer, The Joint Commission. “We commend Rutland Regional Medical Center for using The Joint Commission’s certification process to enact sustainable practices and utilize resources that positively benefit patients and the environment.”

The goal to attain the Sustainable Healthcare Certification from The Joint Commission began in early 2025 and was facilitated by Eric Petersen, Associate Vice President of Facilities Projects and Services.

“Teams throughout RRMC were already paying attention to sustainable practices in many ways,” said Petersen. “We formed the RRMC Environmental Sustainability Committee to harness the enthusiasm and align our ongoing efforts with the Joint Commission’s certification standards.”

RRMC’s sustainability work encompassed all levels of the hospital from clinical to non-clinical areas. Everything from proper hospital waste disposal to energy efficiency efforts were all part of the sustainability work over the past year.

“The hospital-wide effort really had an impact,” said Michelle Wilcox, Accreditation Specialists in Quality and Patient Safety. “RRMC is one of only 5 hospitals in all of New England to have received the Joint Commission Sustainable Healthcare Certification, which is quite an achievement.”

To help healthcare organizations achieve SHC, The Joint Commission has developed the Sustainable Healthcare Resource Center. The resource center provides practical strategies, tools, literature, videos and links.

For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website.