This Earth Day, we celebrate our incredible staff and medical professionals who have been taking action to advance environmental initiatives across Interior Health (IH). Together, they’re leading us to create a health-care future that’s sustainable for decades to come.
To celebrate Earth Day this year, we created a video to showcase some of our sustainability highlights from the past year.
As part of our 2024–2027 Strategic Direction, we have included a new strategic priority, Addressing Climate Change and Sustainability.
In 2024, we continued to implement the 20 actions under our Climate Change and Sustainability Roadmap, our five-year plan to embed climate action and sustainability across our operations.
We received two national awards for our accomplishments in environmental sustainability and energy management.
The Canadian College of Health Leaders awarded us the Energy and Environmental Stewardship Award for an “unwavering commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility amidst daunting climate challenges.”
In November, Kootenay Lake Hospital’s Laboratory was awarded the 2024–25 Green Lab Award from the Canadian Association of Pathologists. The laboratory team has been dedicated to implementing strategies to improve the site’s environmental performance while maintaining high-quality patient care.
We hired Dr. Ilona Hale, our first medical director, climate change and sustainability, to advance clinical sustainability projects.
We have worked closely to identify sustainability opportunities to reduce waste and emissions in Pharmacy and Lab Services. We launched a Lab Sustainability Focus Group and published a national playbook on integrating sustainability into clinical laboratories.
We continued to engage and work together with local communities and Indigenous partners to coordinate pre-season activities, prepare for extreme weather events and reduce climate related health impacts.
In the Kootenay Boundary (KB) region, we piloted a Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment project. This assessment evaluates vulnerability of climate-related health impacts, focusing on extreme heat, cold, flooding, wildfires and smoke, and drought in the KB. It will serve as a template for future assessment in other Interior regions.
Related Stories@IH: Meet two women who are changing the way we think about water
Tineke was the first policy specialist hired at IH. For two-plus years, she has helped organize many IH policies.
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Recent regulatory changes are making it easier for U.S.-trained lab professionals to find a job in Canada. Attractive benefits make the move north enticing.
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As a doula, Sage Thomas attended a home birth where the family integrated Indigenous ceremonial practices. She’s now practising midwifery in her home community.
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Thirty-five years into her career with IH, Elizabeth Adolph still loves what she does: taking care of residents at Mountain View Lodge in Lillooet.
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In the 5 years since the In Plain Sight report was released, we’ve made strides towards being a culturally safe organization—but there’s more work to do.
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Inspired by her aunt’s career as a pharmacist, Angela became a pharmacy technician to use the hands-on aspect of compounding to benefit patient care.
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