Rewilding Health Care: How Canadian Health Care Facilities Are Promoting Nature-Based Healing and Biodiversity Recovery
Rewilding Health Care:
How Canadian Health Care Facilities Are Promoting Nature-Based Healing and Biodiversity Recovery
By: Sabrina Careri
Rewilding Health Care:
How Canadian Health Care Facilities Are Promoting Nature-Based Healing and Biodiversity Recovery
The Health Care Forest project transforms hospitals, clinics, and care facilities creating green spaces through planting native trees and plants. This initiative promotes healing and recovery for patients and health care workers, while supporting biodiversity and environmental regeneration.
The mental and physical human health benefits provided by biodiversity for healing are clear and well documented. Health care facilities in particular, present a significant opportunity to reconnect people with nature and support biodiversity in urban environments. Not only do these buildings often occupy large areas of land, but they also care for patients on a journey towards healing and recovery, as well as health care workers, who regularly operate under high levels of stress.
Academic studies have proven the physical and psychological benefits of green space in the health care setting (e.g., Ali et al. 2016; Reeve, Nieberler-Walker, & Desha 2017; Emami, Amini, & Motalebi 2018; DuBose et al. 2018; Nieberler-Walker et al. 2023). Despite this recognition, there are many facilities that still resemble more traditional medical design standards, characterized as sterile, cold and windowless environments, thus neglecting the opportunity to support health and well-being through fostering connections with nature. However, the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care is working to change that through their Health Care Forest project.
The Canadian Health Care Forest initiative supports health care facilities (such as hospitals, long-term care homes, clinics, etc.) in planting trees and creating green spaces. In collaboration with partner charities, the Coalition has helped plant over 2,400 trees at more than 20 sites, ranging from major hospitals to community clinics and office buildings.
Originally focused solely on tree planting, the project has since evolved into a broader re-wilding effort. Today, it includes not only trees, but also shrubs, native grasses, pollinator plants, and formal gardens – all of which are planted with the goal of “bringing the forest to the patient.” By transforming health care environments, this initiative not only provides recovery and regeneration to patients and health care workers, but also to urban ecology and biodiversity at large.
How Does It Work?
When a health care facility expresses interest, along with administrative support and a clear understanding of the project, the Health Care Forest team functions as an intermediary, connecting the facility with an appropriate partner planting organization.
What’s Next?
The initiative is now seeking new health care partners and planting sites. This could be a hospital, long-term care facility, medical office or even an adjacent park or conservation area. Organizations that have participated in the project or an initiative similar can also request to be added to their digital database – an interactive map that highlights the plantings completed at various hospitals and health care facilities.
The NET and the Health Care Forest Project
In a new partnership, the NET is exploring ways to support the Health Care Forest project by collaborating to document the project’s impact on nature-based healing and biodiversity recovery. Grounded in scientific evidence, this initiative represents an important opportunity to enhance healing environments, support biodiversity, and reimagine how health care and urban ecology intersect for healthy and thriving communities.
