How can hospitals make smarter, greener investment decisions? This question was at the heart of a CARING NATURE workshop hosted by the 7th Health Region of Crete on 2 July 2026, bringing together the University of West Attica, the General Hospital of Chania, the project’s Greek pilot hospital, and representatives from hospitals across Crete.

As the scientific partner of the project in Greece, the University of West Attica presented the methodology and latest progress in developing a suite of innovative decision-support tools designed to help healthcare organisations integrate sustainability into their investment planning and strategic decision-making.

Participants explored four complementary tools developed within the CARING NATURE project:

  • Life Cycle Costing (LCC) to assess the total cost of an investment throughout its lifecycle;
  • Sustainable Finance Evaluation Model (SFEM) to evaluate its economic viability;
  • Sustainability Reporting aligned with modern sustainability standards;
  • Decision Support System (DSS) to support evidence-based decision-making.

Together, these tools provide an integrated framework enabling hospitals to assess the environmental, economic, social and strategic impacts of their investments, supporting more sustainable and resilient healthcare systems.

A key highlight of the workshop was the presentation of the successful pilot implementation of the LCC, SFEM and Sustainability Reporting tools at the General Hospital of Chania. The pilot assessed the installation of rooftop photovoltaic panels, demonstrating how environmental sustainability can be combined with economic performance to support informed investment decisions. By providing robust evidence and reliable data, these tools help healthcare managers confidently plan investments that contribute to both sustainability and long-term resilience.

Beyond the technical presentations, the workshop fostered valuable exchanges between project partners and healthcare professionals on how CARING NATURE’s solutions can be further deployed across public health organisations. Discussions highlighted the importance of collaboration in accelerating the green transition, improving energy efficiency and strengthening the resilience of healthcare systems.

CARING NATURE warmly thanks the 7th Health Region of Crete, the University of West Attica, the General Hospital of Chania, and all participating healthcare organisations for their commitment to advancing sustainable healthcare through innovation and collaboration.