Low-Carbon Heat-Health Solutions in Care Settings
Introduction
GTEC is collaborating with the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care to implement the Coalition’s Heat Adapt project in British Columbia. This project actively engages healthcare organizations and workers serving at-risk and vulnerable populations to build a comprehensive understanding of both current and future impacts of extreme heat on the health care system.
The approach includes gathering and analysing qualitative and quantitative data from a diverse range of health care settings, such as acute care, long term care, and hospitals. This comprehensive data collection enables the development of practical indoor heat adaptation strategies. Findings are integrated into disaster planning and scenario-based transformative planning for health care environments.
Heat Health Project Overview
Full details about the project can be found here.
Led by the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, this multi-year national initiative is designed to enhance healthcare system resilience in the face of extreme indoor heat and to disseminate project results to vulnerable populations. The study prioritizes understanding the effects of high indoor temperatures on residents, patients, and healthcare professionals in long-term care homes, acute care facilities, clinics, and home care settings across Canada.
The methodology combines environmental monitoring with human experience data to inform climate adaptation strategies for indoor heat in health care. Quantitative data will be gathered through temperature and humidity measurements using data loggers. Qualitative insights will be obtained via surveys and brief interviews with residents, patients, and staff. The study will proceed with all necessary research ethics approvals, and baseline data collection was completed in 2025.
This project is funded by Health Canada.
Heat Health Key Project Goals & Deliverables
- Strengthening Climate-Resilient Health Systems
- National Advisory Committee
- Community Co-Design
- Education and Knowledge Mobilization
- Demonstration Sites and Real-World Implementation
- Community Workshops
GTEC’s Experience in Disaster and Scenario Planning
GTEC’s experience translating data into disaster planning and scenario planning:
In response to increasing wildfires and gaps in community social services planning, GTEC developed an Organization Climate Resilience Survey and Organization Climate Resilience Roadmap. These tools are designed to help organizations prepare for and address the impacts of extreme weather events. The project was conducted with The Federation of Community Social Services and the Social Planning and Research Council of BC.
In 2024, GTEC co-presented a workshop at the Canadian Conference on Physician Leadership. The workshop used scenario planning to explore potential outcomes, draft adaptation or mitigation measures, and develop these as strategic initiatives for healthcare leadership.