Within the Canadian health sector, there is growing recognition of the impacts of climate change on health and health systems, and the many ways in which the health sector itself is contributing to climate change and other environmental problems. Emerging sustainability champions have been calling for change as they initiate climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation projects at all levels of the health system. As our collective understanding of the issues and opportunities related to climate change deepens, members of the healthcare community need support as they navigate the nuances of sustainability work.
The Planetary Health & Sustainable Care ECHO offers a collaborative space for people in the Canadian healthcare sector to discuss, troubleshoot, and celebrate efforts to provide climate resilient and responsible care across settings and specialties.
Cycle Overview
The ability to deliver high-quality care and extend the responsibilities of health services to future generations requires careful stewardship of resources and consideration of the broader impacts of healthcare delivery on the environment, and the determinants of health. When care is provided, we must ensure it is appropriate to avoid harmful overuse and underuse. And when appropriate care is provided, we must ensure it is as sustainable as possible to enhance the health sector’s climate resilience and reduce its contributions to climate change and other environmental problems. These efforts are deeply tied to achieving quality co-benefits, such as improving patient outcomes and reducing costs.
In this ECHO cycle, we will explore resource stewardship as a key component in the delivery of high-quality, truly sustainable care. Through brief lectures and case presentations from a variety of sites and settings, we will consider the following two themes:
- RETHINK: Considering practice and operational changes that reduce the use of unnecessary products and services
- Possible topics include testing, prescribing, PPE use, supply management, and more
- REPLACE: Considering more sustainable alternatives to environmentally impactful products and services
- Possible topics include reusable products, circular economy policies and procurement practices, sustainable care pathways, food services, digital health technologies, and more
Topics will be determined in part based on case presentation proposals submitted by participants. A final agenda will be circulated in advance of the first session.
Learning Objectives
Through weekly Zoom meetings, participants will be able to:
- Explain the relationship between climate change, health, and health systems
- Identify opportunities to integrate resilience and sustainability into their work
- Leverage lessons from the field to enhance their sustainability and resilience initiatives
- Gain insight into how their sustainability efforts connect with similar initiatives, and with the larger landscape of climate-resilient and sustainable healthcare
- Locate resources and support for implementing sustainability and resilience initiatives
Please note, registration is open on a rolling basis, meaning those interested can register at any time throughout the cycle and attend any number of sessions. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email and a calendar invitation to the entire cycle (8 sessions). Although we’d love to see you at every session, we understand that that may not always be possible. The cycle schedule will be shared in advance so that you can prioritize the sessions most relevant to your scope of practice.