Nature-based Solutions 5

Nature-Based Solutions: A Path to Reducing Healthcare Delivery System Costs.

Reimagining Health and Well-Being Through Proaction, Ecosystem Harmony, and Economic Stewardship.

Around the world, healthcare systems are standing at a crossroads. They are stretched by rising demands, soaring costs, deepening inequities, and the growing weight of climate-related disasters and emerging infectious diseases. Yet beneath these challenges lies a deeper truth: none of them exist in isolation. They are bound together—threads of the same fabric connecting the health of people, the health of the planet, and the vitality of our economies. To heal one, we must begin to heal them all.

As a physician and lifelong advocate for sustainable, person-centered, and integrated healthcare delivery, I believe it’s time to widen our perspective on what it truly means to promote health and well-being. Beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics, beyond technology and treatment, exists a powerful ally we too often overlook—nature itself.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) invite us to reimagine healthcare not as a system of endless reaction, but as a living partnership with the world around us. Restoring wetlands that buffer storms, planting trees that purify air, designing green cities that nurture both bodies and minds—these are not just environmental acts; they are investments in human resilience and collective well-being.

When we align prevention, protection, promotion, and preparedness with the wisdom of ecosystems and steward our economic resources responsibly, we create a future where health is not merely the absence of disease, but the presence of balance—between people, planet, and prosperity.

Rethinking Cost Through a Nature-based Lens.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are actions that restore, protect, or sustainably manage ecosystems in ways that address societal needs—including health and well-being. While these solutions are often discussed in environmental circles, they have profound implications for healthcare service delivery—and notably, for reducing the operational and management costs that strain healthcare systems worldwide.

Nature is not a luxury. It is infrastructure—and when we care for it, it can reduce disease, prevent emergencies, and buffer healthcare systems worldwide from costly disruptions.

From Reactive to Proactive: How NbS Lower Healthcare Costs.

Here’s how integrating NbS into our evidence-based healthcare approach can deliver tangible savings while improving outcomes:

1. Cooling Cities, Preventing Heat-Related Illnesses.
Urban green infrastructure—trees, green roofs, and parks—naturally cool communities, reducing heatstroke cases, hospital admissions, and energy demands on healthcare facilities.

2. Filtering Air and Strengthening Lungs.
Conserving forests and green spaces improves air quality and respiratory health, leading to fewer ER visits and long-term treatment costs for asthma and COPD.

3. Mitigating Infectious Disease Risk.
Healthy wetlands filter pollutants, manage stormwater, and control mosquito populations—thereby reducing the spread of vector-borne and waterborne diseases and the cost of managing them.

4. Supporting Mental and Emotional Health.
Exposure to natural world has been shown to decrease stress, anxiety, and depression. In doing so, it eases demand on overburdened, understaffed, and underfunded mental health systems and reduces reliance on pharmaceuticals.

5. Protecting Critical Infrastructure.
Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and coral reefs shield hospitals and clinics from floods and storm surges, reducing both downtime and repair costs.

The Economics of Ecosystem Investment.

The cost-effectiveness of NbS is no longer speculative—it’s measurable.

• According to the World Bank, every $1 invested in nature-based urban infrastructure yields $2–$5 in healthcare, energy, and disaster-related savings.

• Studies published in The Lancet Planetary Health reveal that NbS can reduce the overall disease burden in urban areas by up to 15%.

• Cities like Singapore have demonstrated that integrating green infrastructure into planning not only improves health outcomes—it also saves millions annually in public expenditures.

For Healthcare Leaders, This Is a Strategic Opportunity.

The path forward is clear: if we want to reduce long-term healthcare spending, we must think beyond the clinic walls.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) offer a scalable, equitable, and clinically relevant approach to:

• Strengthen global healthcare system resilience.

• Advance environmental stewardship and sustainability.

• Address root causes of poor health and well-being—both health and non-health related.

• Improve access to proactive care—especially in marginalized and vulnerable communities.

A Final Reflection.

As a physician who has witnessed both the personal toll of illness and the structural burdens of our American healthcare delivery system, I believe deeply in the power of upstream thinking. Nature-based Solutions are not a silver bullet—but they are among the most promising tools in the tool kit we have to build a healthier, more equitable, effective, sustainable and resilient future for generations to come.

A truth long known to many cultures around the world:  

When we take care of the Earth, it takes care of us.

People, Planet, and Prosperity.