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Helping the planet, one inhaler at a time

HN Summary • Environmental impact: At St. Joseph’s Health Care London and London Health Sciences Centre, nearly 70% of 53,000 inhalers dispensed in 2024 were MDIs using HFA propellants — generating emissions equal to a car circling the Earth 96 times. • Recycling solution: The Go...
Green Column

How to “green” operating rooms: new guideline advises reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink

Reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink can be applied in Canadian operating rooms (ORs) to increase environmental sustainability, advises a new guideline published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). As the Canadian health care system produces almost 5% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and 200...

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Facilities Management and Design

Building a greener, safer hospital

HN Summary • Sustainable, Low-Impact Design: The new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital (WLMH) in Grimsby,...
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From hidden emissions to climate leadership: Tackling nitrous oxide in health care

HN Summary • Nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas nearly 300 times more potent than...
Green Column

The hospital engineer’s role in on-site nitrous mitigation

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an important contributor to climate change; not only is it...
Green Column

Leading the way: How hospital pharmacy is tackling climate change

The World Health Organization identified climate change as a major threat to human health...
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Student insights: The case for integrating sustainability into pharmacy curriculum

As pharmacy students, we are trained to prioritize the safest and most effective medications...
Green Column

Understanding the environmental impact of hospital pharmacy supply chains

The pharmacy sector produces a range of environmental effects, encompassing greenhouse gas emissions, ecological...
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Surfing the green wave: A short story on hospital pharmacy sustainability and leadership

Life has its way to open paths you would not suspect on your journey....
Green Column

Pharmaceuticals in the environment: Impact on non-target organisms

Typically, there are three main aspects brought up when considering pharmacy’s impact on planetary...
Green Column

CSHP’s climate-conscious recommendations

The urgency to address climate change is undeniable, and every sector, including the healthcare...
Pulmonary and Respirology

Breathing deep: The environmental impact of inhalers

Canada is caught in a vicious cycle when it comes to maintaining respiratory health...
Green Column

Yukon Home Care embraces e-bikes for service delivery

Working collaboratively with other government departments, First Nations governments, medical facilities and community partners,...
Green Column

Environmental benchmarking for hospitals: The Green Hospital Scorecard is free for hospitals across Canada

The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care is pleased to be offering the Green Hospital...
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Current Print Issue

Aging in place needs more than good intentions — it needs smart infrastructure

Canada’s rapidly aging population is driving urgent demand for new approaches to elder care. Supportive smart home technology—designed to monitor daily routines, detect health risks, and enable early intervention—offers a scalable solution that supports aging in place, reduces caregiver burden, and helps prevent hospitalizations. As costs rise and workforce shortages persist, experts argue these technologies should be treated as essential infrastructure, requiring clear policy, funding, and equitable access to modernize care and keep older adults safely at home.
Research

Navigating breastfeeding after spinal cord injury

HN Summary • New research shows spinal cord injuries can disrupt breastfeeding due to physiological...
Pediatrics

An individualized and equitable approach: Pregnancy care for people with disabilities

HN Summary • Sunnybrook’s Accessible Care Pregnancy Clinic provides individualized, fully accessible care for people...
Patient Care

From Compassion to Impact: SHN Coordinator Honoured for Advancing Organ Donation

HN Summary • Sandra Ricketts-Fusca, a Patient Care Coordinator at Scarborough Health Network, has been...