Cancer & Work Health Impact Bond
Some 40,000 employees are diagnosed with cancer each year. Although they obviously have other things on their mind than their job in the initial phase, most do want to return to work after treatment. Yet going back to work can sometimes be a challenge if you’ve had cancer, as fatigue, reduced concentration and memory problems are common side-effects of treatment. Sadly, one quarter of all those diagnosed end up losing their jobs.
The insurer De Amersfoortse (the client), the occupational health and safety service ArboNed and the rehabilitation agency Re-turn (the operational practitioners), the ABN AMRO Social Impact Fund and Start Foundation (the investors) have now joined forces to tackle this issue. The initiative has resulted in a new approach to help employees undergoing or having completed cancer treatment to return to work and to help lower absenteeism rates. ABN AMRO Government & Education has developed an innovative strategy in the form of a health impact bond to fund the new approach. In fact, it’s the bank’s sixth impact bond to date.
The Cancer & Work Health Impact Bond was launched at the end of November 2017.