Island Health’s adoption of virtual care in recent years has benefited patients and the environment, thanks to travel reductions that have resulted in cost savings and a drop in greenhouse gas emissions.
“It’s about caring for the planet while caring for people. Every virtual appointment is one less long road trip for a patient, one less tank of gas, one less day lost to travel and one more moment they can spend living their life,” says Lisa Saffarek, director of Virtual Care Technology Services (VCTS). “Our services contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing emissions and travel distances, and they also give rural and remote patients the gift of convenient, equitable access to care.”
Dr. Jesse Pewarchuk, an internal medicine physician at Island Health’s Bariatric Clinic, also underlines the benefits of virtual care in terms of access. “We very strongly believe in health-care equity. We don’t believe that there is a difference between people who are here versus people who are elsewhere,” he says.
Island Health’s VCTS team has tracked some key environmental outcomes, aided by a tool that measures carbon emission reductions due to avoided travel. So far, these findings cover nearly 80 per cent of Island Health’s virtual patient appointments that use BC Virtual Visit, a provincial video platform that lets patients attend appointments from the comfort of their own home. Overall, from mid-February 2020 to mid-November 2025, virtual care helped patients:
- Avoid more than 23 million kilometres in travel;
- Save more than $4.4 million in travel costs, including the cost of transit fare, gas, insurance, vehicle wear and tear, and parking.
- Save more than 2,600 tons of greenhouse gas emissions – equating to annual emissions from about 578 passenger vehicles.
The Bariatric Clinic leads Island Health in terms of travel distance saved due to virtual care, totalling more than nine million kilometres. As one of two provincially funded bariatric surgery programs (the other is in Richmond), it serves patients from the Island Health region and elsewhere in the province, including northern B.C. and the Interior.
Dr. Pewarchuk estimates that he conducts more than 1,000 virtual visits annually. “There’s a much higher tendency toward serious illness and disability among our patient population – so anything we can do to lessen the burden on them and still get them good care is a big win, and I think we’re doing really well on that.”
Una Trevillion, a dietitian with the Bariatric Clinic, also highlights the benefits of a virtual approach. “I think that our health is related to the health of our environment as well,” she says. “So the impact on emissions reduction, and transport and travel, as a consequence of using virtual care is really fantastic.”
Nicole Roberge, a clinic patient in Port Hardy, attends her virtual sessions with a cell phone and wireless headphones. She finds the process simple and is grateful for its impact. “If it wasn’t for virtual visits, it is unlikely I would have stayed with the program simply due to travel,” she says. “The feasibility of going to in-person appointments every three months is just not possible as it would require hotel stays, gas and time off work.”
Monica Juneau, another clinic patient, has a similar response. “If I had to go there every three months, I couldn’t afford it,” says Juneau, who is based in Princeton in B.C.’s Interior and has attended her virtual appointments using devices including her phone, tablets and laptops. “It’s just been really good,” she says of the process. “Island Health was great.”
Island Health’s Environmental Sustainability team introduced CHS to the virtual care carbon accounting tool, which was designed by CASCADES Canada. “We’re incredibly proud of the VCTS team for demonstrating what climate leadership looks like in health care,” says Spencer Graham, sustainability coordinator. “Their virtual waiting room program is a clear reflection of Island Health's Climate Change and Planetary Health Strategy in action.”