Four health care facilities gain new bragging rights as Canada’s Green Hospitals of the Year with the recent announcement of top results from the annual benchmarking exercise tracking energy and water savings, waste reduction, pollution prevention and environmental leadership. Winners, achieving the highest scores in each of the four categories of participants, include:

• Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the community hospital category;
• Hamilton Health Sciences/Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, in the teaching hospital category;
• Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, in the non-acute hospital category; and
• Four Counties Health Services, Newbury, Ontario, in the small hospital category.

The awards are sponsored through Ontario’s Save on Energy initiative and were presented during an online forum last week. Along with the honours for the four top achievers, 38 additional green health care awards recognize leaders in each of the five elements of the green scorecard, including three separate awards related to energy. Results are based on 2020 performance data, which participating health care facilities submitted in 2021.

“The Green Hospital Scorecard provides a vehicle for standardized, sector-specific environmental benchmarking,” says Neil Ritchie, executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, which coordinates the program. “It connects hospitals with environmental information to support decision-making that can also deliver the economic benefits of reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved energy and water efficiency, and increased climate change resiliency.”

In total, accolades were bestowed to 30 individual facilities or health care networks located in four provinces. Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and Four Counties Health Services are among the smaller group of multiple award-winners, which also includes:

• Kemptville District Hospital, Kemptville, Ontario, in the small hospital category;
• Markham Stouffville Hospital, Markham, Ontario, and Northumberland Hills Hospital, Cobourg, Ontario, in the community hospital category;
• West Park Healthcare Centre, Toronto, Ontario, in the non-acute hospital category;
• Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, and Toronto Unity Health Toronto – Providence Healthcare in the teaching hospital category.