Sustainability

Environmental sustainability

HCA Healthcare’s dedication to improving more lives in more ways is directly connected to the impact we have on the environment, as well as our understanding of how the environment impacts overall health and well-being. Our environmental strategy includes short- and long-term sustainability plans, and centers on incorporating the following four key pillars into our operations:

Managing energy and water responsibly by striving to reduce use of energy and water, decarbonize energy and manage water quality.

Enhancing climate resilience by working to ensure HCA Healthcare’s operations and the communities we serve are more resilient to climate risks.

Sourcing and consuming efficiently by focusing on decreasing emissions from purchased goods, sourcing responsibly, reducing consumption and reusing where possible.

Managing the environmental impact of our capital programs by trying to reduce carbon emissions, waste and other adverse environmental impacts from new construction, retrofits and expansions.

Their goal: to identify ways HealthONE hospitals could do more to reduce their carbon emissions, better manage electricity usage and contribute to a healthier environment for Rocky Mountain region residents. One of their first steps was to call their local electricity vendor, Xcel Energy.

“We called our local electricity vendor and engaged with them on a strategic energy management program for the Denver market,” said Andy Draper, chief information officer (CIO) at HCA Healthcare Continental Division.

HealthONE and Xcel Energy partnered to launch a pilot of the Strategic Energy Management (SEM) program in 2020. Funded by Xcel Energy, the SEM program is a holistic approach to managing industrial and commercial energy use. By integrating energy management into business practices, the program provides businesses with a clear pathway to improving energy performance and operational efficiency.

Managing and reducing the energy use of facilities with 24/7 operations requires a different approach than standard office buildings. Through the SEM program, HealthONE is taking the lead in creating hospital-based groups, benchmarks and goals to establish an approach for other divisions and teams to follow. Working with SEM’s dedicated consulting team, HealthONE’s facility management teams continuously look for ways to help reduce energy usage at all HealthONE facilities. SEM consultants also provide guidance for how to apply for rebates, so our engineers can focus on energy-efficiency improvements.

“We’re all in this collaborative mode where we’re learning alongside the utility and they’re learning from us,” said Chris Talbert, AVP of capital project delivery at HCA Healthcare.

Led by Continental Division’s Kevin Kucera, director of real estate, and Dennis Clair, director of facility management, the Facilities Management team’s approach at HealthONE has ranged from replacing boilers, reducing the energy use of chillers and managing electricity usage to adjusting variable frequency drives (VFD) to help optimize the HVAC systems at hospitals.

“Our teams work together to stay informed and provide the SEM consultants with the information they need,” said Kevin.

The team credits deep collaboration across HCA Healthcare and with Xcel Energy as one of the main contributing factors for the progress in energy reductions, which is timely as the City of Denver and Colorado have established energy performance targets and legislation. In 2022, the City of Denver approved an ordinance, called Energize Denver, requiring all commercial and multifamily buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by improving energy efficiency, utilizing renewable energy and electrifying buildings.

“Part of the success has been the communication between our groups within HCA Healthcare,” said Dennis. “We’ve been able to really come together and work together to try and save energy and money at the same time.”

Moving forward, the team will strive to share learnings with other HCA Healthcare divisions so they can also achieve savings by engaging local utilities and learning what steps they can take to reduce energy and ultimately create a better environment for their communities.

Our people

At HCA Healthcare, we believe excellent people make excellence happen. That’s why we provide our more than 309,000 colleagues with programs, benefits and resources that are designed to support their overall well-being and strive to foster a culture of inclusion that allows colleagues to thrive.

*As of Dec. 31, 2023. Data is approximate and represents U.S.-based colleagues who provided demographic information.

Colleague Networks

Since launching the Colleague Networks program in 2021, our nine colleague-led, self-directed voluntary networks have helped strengthen our culture of belonging by facilitating connection, collaboration and celebration among colleagues. 

We have established over 130 local Colleague Network chapters since April 2022 that are engaged in meaningful programming across the enterprise. Colleague Networks have seen a considerable amount of growth in recent months, with a 115% increase in membership since January 2023. We believe Colleague Networks are having a tangible impact on colleagues’ sense of belonging. 

• Our October 2023 employee engagement survey showed that colleagues who were engaged with a Colleague Network reported having a higher sense of belonging at HCA Healthcare compared to the general colleague population. 

Embracing diverse abilities

To support our strategic efforts of ensuring equitable care and creating a work environment for colleagues of all abilities, we expanded our partnerships with organizations to better understand the diverse needs of our colleagues and patients.

• 500+ local jobs expected to be created for adults with autism and neurodiversities

In 2023, we partnered with Deque Accessibility Solutions to host an Accessibility Awareness lab on our corporate campus. Colleagues participated in the interactive learning experience and were guided through different assistive technologies to have a deeper understanding of what it’s like to have specific disabilities, including dyslexia, blindness or low vision and mobility challenges.

In partnership with The Precisionists, Inc. (TPI), an organization that supports employment for adults with disabilities, we engage neurodiverse adults to work alongside HCA Healthcare’s Information Technology Group (ITG) on a variety of support functions including data analysis and data entry. In partnership with TPI and other community organizations, we plan to create more than 500 local jobs for adults with autism and neurodiversities within the next three to five years in Nashville, Tennessee.

• Through education, recruitment and targeted programming, our Diversability Colleague Network continues to seek to advance awareness and inclusion for colleagues with disabilities, as well as those who serve as caregivers or advocates for persons with disabilities. Our Diversability Colleague Network serves as a valuable advocacy group and has expanded to six divisions within its first year.
• We are incorporating information about neurodiversity in HCA Healthcare’s 2024 annual Code of Conduct training for colleagues to learn more about ways to best support colleagues and patients who are neurodiverse.

HCA Healthcare Sponsorship program

The HCA Healthcare Sponsorship Program, created on a recommendation from our Black Senior Leadership Council, was launched in 2022 for a cohort of Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Asian/Pacific Islander executives to support the advancement of leaders of color. The program expanded in 2023 to be available to manager-level and above colleagues.

Being there for our military community

We are proud to be a nationally recognized military-friendly employer. We work to offer a supportive environment for our military community through our inclusive workplace programs, partnerships with other organizations, employment practices and recruitment.

Since 2012, HCA Healthcare has hired more than 60,000 veterans, active-duty and reserve personnel and military spouses. 

One of our veteran colleagues, Alex Kell, a senior director with our Information Technology Group, was honored with a 2023 Employee Veteran Leadership Award (EVLA) by VIQTORY’s Military Friendly® program. The prestigious award program selects veterans for having a positive impact on the organizations they work for, as well as the military and veteran community. “HCA Healthcare’s culture is similar to the military in that it prioritizes caring like family and supporting one another,” Alex said. “HCA Healthcare seeks to connect colleagues with a higher purpose and people from the military are looking for that again after separation.”

We were one of the first organizations to partner with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to help lead the Hiring 100,000 Military Spouses campaign in 2019. The 2019 campaign was a three-year call to action for U.S. organizations of all sizes to make a collective commitment to hire 100,000 military spouses. Through the campaign, more than 7,000 military spouses have joined HCA Healthcare.

In 2023, HCA Healthcare earned the following distinctions for our efforts to support U.S. veteran and military communities:

• Military Times recognized HCA Healthcare as a Best for Vets employer for the fourth consecutive year, highlighting its efforts to recruit, retain and support current and former service members, military spouses and military caregivers.
• VIQTORY has recognized HCA Healthcare as a Military Friendly employer for 13 consecutive years. This year, HCA Healthcare has been upgraded to Gold distinction for our veteran hiring practices, programs and support initiatives.
• RecruitMilitary^® has recognized HCA Healthcare as a 2023 Champion for Military Hiring based on the pursuit of hiring excellence.
• Disabled American Veterans® has recognized and awarded HCA Healthcare the Patriot Employer award for demonstrating an unwavering commitment to hiring and supporting military talent through employment policies, hiring practices and community outreach.