AIX-PERTUIS INTERCOMMUNAL HOSPITAL (13)
A golden hospital
Their eyes were filled with glitter! In March 2022, the hospital was awarded the THQSE® labelGold label. This was in recognition of the efforts made over the past ten years by the Sustainable Development Committee, which was subsequently structured under the impetus of the agency Primum non nocere.
" It's a quality label, and for me it was important," explains Carole Festa, Director of Quality, Users, Research and Communication, and environmental health referent at the hospital. "What' s more, all the work carried out to obtain this label enriches the HAS certification process for quality of care. The wide-ranging approach to sustainable development identified a number of areas for work, including food waste. " We realized that the work carried out by the local food and nutrition committee (Comité local d'alimentation et de nutrition - Clan), with the catering service, was already part of a sustainable development approach, as they had tackled the issue of waste by working on a better match between needs and production. By obtaining the label, we were able to promote and reinforce our current actions.
A great deal of work has also been done on waste in the operating theatre, following the initiative of a highly motivated orderly, as well as on energy and water, and disposable batteries. " Everyone was doing a bit of sustainable development on their own without knowing it, but we were able to structure all this and make the initiatives sustainable over time. Now, we define action plans that are discussed at each meeting of the SD committee, every two months, and we identify the actions that remain to be undertaken, while remaining attentive to the initiatives of the departments, which is very important." Many young doctors, who are very concerned by environmental issues, have joined the committee, and a user representative takes part in the meetings.
The social axis has been given a strong boost, with the implementation of several new projects, including the creation of a resource area in an old building rehabilitated thanks to fundraising support. " We've also relaunched the communal garden, and the goodwill of professionals will be put to work for staff with relaxation and massage workshops. " As a result, with each new issue of the in-house newsletter, Direct Vert, requests to join the SD committee and proposals for additional projects are pouring in. " We can clearly see that there is a very high level of societal expectation when it comes to environmental issues.