Canadian Health Care Forests

“Bring the forest to your patient”

In addition to the beauty they bring to our neighbourhoods and communities, trees and plants are essential for human health and the mitigation of climate change. By re-wilding their facilities, health care institutions can play a leadership role in creating carbon sinks and bringing back biodiversity to our cities. “Re-wilding” can involve the planting and maintenance of trees, shrubs, pollinator plants, natural grasses, and floral gardens. Staff and patients alike could benefit from the restorative benefits of viewing and walking through health care forests, a space to regenerate and relax into living natural landscapes.

The Coalition and its partners have been working with several tree charities over the past two years and have collectively planted 2400 trees at over 20 different sites. Check out Sujane, the co-chair of PEACH Health Ontario, at a planting in Markham with Trees for Life: https://www.treesforlife.ca/news/dr-sujane-kandasamy

If a health facility or health care worker reaches out about doing a planting at their site, our team engages with them to be sure they are supported by administration and understand what will be involved. When they have decided what they want to do, we refer them to the appropriate charity.

As interest in greenspaces increases within health care facilities, our team has received more creative and ambitious requests. In the last two years, some institutions have expressed interest in larger gardens or greenspaces. In order to meet this demand, we are introducing the 'Canadian Health Care Forests.' This initiative will include a diverse mix of trees, plants and re-wilding options, with a focus on traditional and native plants. These projects will be supported by our partnerships with various natural system organisations.

So, what do we need from health care organizations? We need places to plant! It could be a hospital, LTC facility or an office. It could even be an adjacent park or Conservation Area. And we need organizations to reach out to their members about this program to find potential champions. To get an idea what this looks like in action, see the 'Our Plantings' photos on the Trees for Hamilton website. www.treesforhamilton.ca

Did we miss you? If your organisation did a planting in 2020 and beyond, let us know and we will add you to the map!

To be added to the map or join the movement, contact Sama Hameed at sama@greenhealthcare.ca