This primer is an introduction to planetary health in the primary care setting and is designed to highlight ways practitioners can integrate these principles into their clinical work. It is not intended to duplicate existing resources on other important topics such as political and personal actions or hospital-based solutions. It o ers examples, practice tips and links to existing resources to educate, inspire and remove barriers to change, organized around the our principles. Readers may want to read it from start to finish or by sections.
This simple QI project demonstrates the feasibility of implementing a small change in a primary care clinic that can improve environmental sustainability with multiple co-benefits. If all family physicians in Canada eliminated exam table paper in their offices, it would result in savings of approximately 95 940 km of paper, 121 680 trees, $C8 400 600 and 3054 T CO2 emissions, equivalent to driving around the world 360 times.
Adopting a planetary health lens provides a new way to think about environmental sustainability in primary care. With many providers working together to incorporate the 4 principles of sustainable health care into our everyday work, we can help reduce the health sector’s environmental footprint with additional benefits for patients, providers, and the health care system.
This webinar features Ilona Hale, MD, exploring new ideas in environmentally sustainable clinical practice. It goes beyond basic measures like recycling and energy-efficient lighting, highlighting the connection between environmental sustainability and high-quality care, including patient-centred care, de-prescribing, and health promotion. The session explains how practicing high-quality, low-carbon care can improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare system burden, decrease provider workload, and help address climate change. Ilona Hale is a family physician with the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia.
This webinar presents a fireside chat hosted by CASCADES, the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council, and the Alliance for Healthier Communities. Panelists share insights on the role, responsibility, and capacity of the primary health care sector and health professionals in identifying and addressing climate change vulnerability and leading adaptation efforts. The discussion features Imara Rolston, Dakota Recollet, Selma Tobah, and Bev Taylor, and is moderated by Fiona Miller and Natasha Beaudin.
In this session of the Sustainable Primary & Community Care Implementation Series, we will hear from a multi-disciplinary team who are putting social prescribing concepts into practice, learn more about building community engagement and resilience, and co-creating programs: Gary Bloch, Family Physician and Physician Lead, Equity and Social Interventions, St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team Nassim Vahidi-Williams, Manager, Community and Patient Engagement, SMHAFHT Sandesh Basnet, SEED Program Link Worker, SMHAFHT Janet Rodriguez, Lived Experience Expert Advisor, SMHAFHT
