Are you sustainable in healthcare?

The climate crisis: a word that can be heard and seen almost daily on the news. The importance of this problem is great and we are concerned. It’s time for action, and we need your help!

At Medisch Spectrum Twente (MST) we do our best every day to treat people well, but at the same time we contribute to people getting sick and their quality of life being harmed. After all, in providing care we use a lot of energy, food and raw materials, thus unintentionally contributing to climate change and environmental pollution. For example, did you know that Dutch healthcare is responsible for 7% of CO2 emissions and that in MST we produce 1 million kilos of waste annually?

Currently there are already enthusiastic and inspired employees who are working on sustainability. In addition, the Sustainable and Inclusive MST program has been set up, in which we focus on reducing CO2 emissions, reducing medication residues in waste water, working in a circular way, a healthy living and working environment and diversity and inclusion. However, there are also many employees who are not yet doing anything with sustainability. Of the 4000 employees at MST, 25% say they want to work on sustainability, but don’t know how.

We do not expect you to come up with the solution to solve the climate crisis, but we do want to motivate as many employees and patients as possible to take action. In order to make healthcare truly sustainable, however, we need everyone’s help. This can be as a booster, as a carrier of ideas, or by demonstrating sustainable behavior. Not only in terms of awareness, but also what they can contribute as individuals or departments. That’s where your help comes in handy!

For this study, we want you to investigate how we can involve as many colleagues as possible in the sustainability program within MST, keep them as informed as possible and, if possible, encourage them to make their own work more sustainable.

We are looking for creative ideas and approaches so that it comes alive among colleagues. If you think we have room for an extra challenge, we would also like to know how we can best involve our patients and visitors in this, what appeals to them and what doesn’t?

This project contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):