Navigating the High Stakes of Hospital Sustainability
An Interview with Theo Segarkis, Director of Energy & Sustainability, Ohio Hospital Association
In the world of corporate sustainability, most leaders talk about “widgets” and “supply chains.” But for Theo Segarkis, the stakes are measured in human lives. As the head of energy and sustainability for the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA), Segarkis oversees a sector where a power outage or a failed HVAC system isn’t just an operational hiccup, it’s a clinical emergency.
We sat down with Theo to discuss the unique friction of greening a hospital, why “ESG” has become a taboo term, and how the industry is finally moving past the status quo.
The “Status Quo” Shield
In healthcare, risk is often the primary driver of decision-making. “Healthcare is very risk-averse for a good reason,” Segarkis explains. “Our facilities and operations leaders tend to stay in the ‘safe’ zone. They know how their current energy and waste flows work, and they’re hesitant to potentially risk patient safety for a sustainability initiative.”
In this environment, sustainability is often seen as a choice rather than a requirement. Unlike clinical compliance, which is non-negotiable, energy reduction is often viewed as “one more change” in an industry already exhausted by shifting payer structures and post-pandemic recovery.
The Reliability Pivot: From “Green” to “Resilient”
To overcome this hesitation, Segarkis and his team share proven energy and sustainability practices from across the state and country, to show how hospitals can proceed with re-positioning their energy and sustainability efforts in their communities. In many boardrooms today, “ESG” (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is off-limits.
“We continue to see a shift happening in health care where institutions are integrating their environmental and sustainability efforts with strategies by aligning goals with core missions including enhancing patient care and improving community health.” By framing a combined heat and power plant or a lighting retrofit as a way to “alleviate financial burden” and “ensure the grid stays up,” Segarkis aligns sustainability with the hospital’s primary mission: keeping patients safe.
The Visibility Challenge: Bridging the Data Gap
To drive efficiency, you first have to measure it. A task that is easier said than done in a complex healthcare landscape. Theo notes that while hospitals are high-tech clinical environments, their utility data is often siloed in traditional administrative systems.
“One of our key roles is helping hospitals streamline how they capture utility data,” Segarkis explains. OHA supports benchmarking for nearly 130 sites across Ohio, but for many facilities, that data is not easily leveraged and requires a more manual process. That means ‘stepping on the scale’ to measure progress becomes a time-consuming task for already busy teams. Segarkis is a vocal advocate for automation and grants that provide resource-strapped facilities with easy-to-use tools, finally lowering the barrier to entry for energy management.
Clinical Quick-Wins: Anesthetic Gases and “Blue Wrap”
While energy is the heavy lifter, some of the most inspiring stories come from the operating room. Segarkis points to two emerging trends that are rapidly becoming the new standard:
The Nitrous Leak: Centralized nitrous oxide systems are notoriously “leaky.” Many hospitals are now decommissioning these central tanks in favor of “point-of-use” care. By switching to portable cylinders, hospitals like Dayton Children’s and Akron Children’s have significantly reduced their environmental impact without sacrificing clinical quality.
The “Blue Wrap” Revolution: Surgical sterile wrap, the voluminous blue plastic that keeps equipment sterile, is a massive waste contributor. OHA is currently working on a local pilot in Central Ohio to aggregate and recycle this #5 polypropylene, keeping it out of landfills and turning it back into useful hospital products like distribution totes.
The Writing on the Wall: Looking Ahead
Is the shift toward sustainability permanent? Segarkis is “very optimistic.” He points to the Joint Commission and Medicare/Medicaid moving toward voluntary certifications that will likely become mandatory at some point.
Whether it’s the push for reusable PPE, which builds supply chain resilience in the face of future pandemics, or on-site power generation, the momentum is building. “The more we talk about it, the more normal it becomes,” Segarkis concludes. “It’s no longer ‘weird’ to build a sustainable hospital. It’s just the best way to care for your community.”
Quick Tips for Healthcare Sustainability Leads
Bundle Your Projects: Pair a high-ROI lighting project with a lower-ROI waste initiative to get them both through the finance committee.
Step on the Scale: Use Energy Star Portfolio Manager, or solutions like Energi.AI, to benchmark and provide decarbonization pathways. You can’t manage or take action on what you don’t measure.
Find Your Clinician Champion: Clinical changes (like gas switching) require buy-in from physicians. Find the early adopters to tell the story to their peers.
Focus on Resiliency: If a sustainability project also makes the facility more “hurricane-proof” or “grid-independent,” lead with that.
Curious to learn more about how Energi.AI helps customers in the health care industry? Learn more on our industry page here.