North Shore Community Health (MA) has entered into a two-year renewable energy agreement with ENGIE Resources for Green-e® Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to match 100% of forecasted consumption for its three northeast Massachusetts locations. 

North Shore Community Health (NSCH) is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) with three full-time sites and two school-based health centers in Salem, Peabody, and Gloucester.  NSCH  serves 14,000 patients annually with high-quality, culturally competent primary care, regardless of ability to pay, for medical, dental, behavioral health, and substance use disorder services.

RECs are the latest component to the NSCH sustainability commitment.  NSCH has undertaken other environmental-focused project initiatives including: energy-efficient LED light upgrades, implementing motion-sensor controlled lighting for exam rooms, and retaining a hybrid work model to help lower emissions created by long commutes.

NSCH will also benefit from budget certainty with a fixed price solution from ENGIE.  This feature is particularly beneficial to the healthcare sector as it faces challenges that set it apart from other industries. The sector faces unpredictable pressure from new or evolving public health issues, changes to insurance processes, the emergence and implementation of new technologies and escalating costs.

According to the American Hospital Association (AHA), hospital expenses are unlike other industries in several ways. Patient demand is not always directly determined by customers’ preferences but, rather, is typically based on externalities that dictate needs, such as required medications, surgery after an accident or other services that patients urgently require, often unexpectedly. This volatility is less prevalent in other sectors, where demand can often be forecast with greater accuracy.

FQHCs in the U.S. provide accessible and comprehensive primary care to more than 30 million patients, or 8.3% of the population.