Our mission is to reduce landfill waste to decrease Healthcare's carbon footprint.

The primary aim of our project is to promote sustainable healthcare. Participants will sort, quality check, fold, and transport, retrieve, package, and ship unused, but clean operating room supplies to our partnered hospitals and clinics via a nonprofit organization, and sterile wrap for recycling. Clean medical equipment designated for single use in our hospitals is diverted from landfills for use in recipient countries. Recycling blue wrap will significantly reduce the landfill waste coming out of our operating rooms, reducing the environmental impact of delivering care, and turning waste into valuable material.

Our volunteers, 16 years and older, will be available for sorting, identifying, and packaging critical medical supplies. Volunteers must work effectively in a team and demonstrate good communication and leadership skills to lead more prominent groups. Attention to detail is essential to ensure sensitive equipment is packed correctly and safely for shipment to communities in need around the world. Volunteers can contribute meaningfully to improving global healthcare inequities and decreasing the carbon footprint of Stanford Children's Hospital.

For more information about this specific volunteer program, please email: Theresa Young tyoung@stanfordchildrens.org.

The Heart Cart provides multiple micro-resiliency practices to help decrease overall stress and provide respite to caregivers and team members by providing tools and resources.

Physical Requirements

To fulfill the responsibilities of this role, volunteers should expect to walk or stand for a minimum of three hours. Volunteers should also be able to push the delivery cart to designated areas and may be asked bend and reach for low materials on the cart. Volunteers may also need to lift heavier items to refill carts.

Qualifications:

• Minimum age of 18 years


• Minimum, weekly 6-month commitment


• Strong people skills


• Strong communication skills


• Driver's license, insurance and own vehicle preferred


• Must be able to lift 15 pounds

The Heart Cart volunteer self-schedules, twice a month for 2 - 4 hour shifts to restock the cart during any of the following times: Monday - Friday, 7:00 am 7:00 pm.