Thursday, September 26 was a day of climate firsts for Island Health. More than 200 staff and medical staff attended the organization's inaugural Climate Change and Planetary Health Conference at Nanaimo's Vancouver Island Conference Centre.
Kim Kerrone, Vice President of Support Services and Chief Financial Officer, also took the opportunity to introduce Island Health's first Climate Change and Planetary Health Strategy at the event.
These are fitting developments, given that addressing climate change is one of Island Health's top priorities, and a key part of our Strategic Framework and Annual Plan.
As the new strategy notes, climate change is already having a profound impact on Island Health's operations, staff, patients and the communities we serve. At the same time, the healthcare system contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and produces other pollutants that affect health.
“I think we have a huge role to play—we are the biggest employer on Vancouver Island. We absolutely have a role in planetary health because our environment is creating health hazards and health risks to our population," says Kerrone.
She adds that Island Health also runs big facilities that contribute to carbon emissions. “So we have a huge responsibility to ensure that our buildings are the best that they can be, given what we've got."
The actions outlined in the plan are framed around the following four priorities (see the table below for more information):
- System
- People
- Infrastructure
- Partnerships
These also align with the four pillars featured in Island Health's Strategic Framework.
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Expand/Download Here: Climate Strategy Table
The strategy's timeline dates to 2022, when Island Health's Climate Change and Planetary Health Steering Committee formed to coordinate climate action across the organization. Much research, planning and consultation took place throughout 2023—including a Climate Change and Planetary Health Engagement Survey that garnered nearly 900 responses from staff, medical staff and volunteers throughout the organization.
This input was crucial to the development of our climate strategy, which was endorsed by Island Health's Executive Leadership Team this past summer.
With the strategy in place, key next steps for the Steering Committee include prioritizing actions to advance this vital work, and starting to integrate a planetary health lens into Island Health's governance and decision-making processes.
Climate change impacts all of us—and we can all help Island Health take action to address climate change and planetary health, now and moving forward.
We invite you to read the full climate change strategy report or view the summary document—and stay tuned for an upcoming overview of the climate change conference.
If you are interested in learning more about climate change work at Island Health and how you can get involved, please contact sustainability@islandhealth.ca.
You're also invited to sign up for The Beacon e-newsletter and get Environmental Sustainability Program updates delivered straight to your inbox. Stay current on climate initiatives throughout Island Health, access the latest tools for change-makers and learn about upcoming opportunities to get involved.
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Island Health is committed to making a positive contribution to environmental sustainability and supporting community preparedness and resiliency for climate emergencies. We are taking action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 50% from 2010 levels by 2030 and diverting 70% of waste from landfills by 2030.