The Canadian College of Health Leaders and Solventum (previously 3M Health Care) are proud to announce that the recipients of this year’s Solventum Health Care Innovation Team Awards are Interior Health and Providence Health Care.
Interior Health
Interior Health’s Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) initiative is the recipient of the Solventum Health Care Innovation Team Award (Disruptive innovation initiatives across a health system) for its disruptive approach to transforming care in emergency departments. By integrating evidence-based practices such as nurse screening, anti-craving pharmacotherapy, and withdrawal management protocols, the program has streamlined care delivery, improving patient outcomes and alleviating pressure on the healthcare system. The initiative’s success lies in its focus on patient-centered care, with active involvement from patients and families—especially those with lived experience—in shaping the program. This has ensured that treatment is not only clinically effective but culturally sensitive, particularly for Indigenous populations impacted by alcohol use and colonial trauma.
The initiative’s sustainability and long-term impact are also noteworthy, demonstrating resilience in an overburdened healthcare system. Through a culture of continuous learning and collaboration, the program has evolved to meet the needs of diverse communities while ensuring effective care. This model of compassionate, integrated care offers a blueprint for systemic change, highlighting the potential to improve alcohol use disorder treatment across healthcare settings. Interior Health’s innovative approach is a powerful example of how healthcare systems can drive lasting, meaningful change for vulnerable populations.
Providence Health Care
Providence Health Care (PHC) has been awarded the Solventum Health Care Innovation Team Award (Disruptive innovation initiatives within an organization) for its groundbreaking Road to Recovery (R2R) initiative, a disruptive approach to substance use care that is transforming how healthcare is delivered across British Columbia. In response to the ongoing public health emergency of unregulated drug toxicity, PHC has reimagined the substance use treatment journey, making it as urgent and accessible as care for other life-threatening conditions like cardiac or renal care. By reducing wait times for urgent substance use care from weeks to just one day, R2R ensures that patients with the most complex needs receive timely, high-quality care. This innovation is not only saving lives but is also improving outcomes for patients by providing a continuum of care from triage through to aftercare.
The R2R initiative includes a range of new services, such as 25 new withdrawal management beds, 20 transitional care beds, and 50 treatment beds, alongside supportive housing and aftercare teams that offer long-term recovery support. This comprehensive, wrap-around approach has proven effective in meeting the complex needs of substance use patients, particularly in PHC’s downtown Vancouver location. The success of R2R, now being implemented across the province, offers a sustainable, patient-centered model that can serve as a blueprint for substance use care across Canada.
These awards, sponsored by Solventum, are part of the CCHL National Awards Program and will be presented during a luncheon at the CCHL National Conference on June 17, 2025.
About the Innovation Awards
Starting in 2024, the Solventum (previously 3M) awards’ focus shifted from quality improvement to disruptive innovation, to highlight cutting edge system transformation and outcomes, diverse population, and sustainability of change. These awards will continue to be presented in two categories, which have been updated to: Disruptive innovation initiative(s) within an organization, and Disruptive innovation initiative(s) across a health system. Changes and updates were made to the award criteria that include removing the minimum of 18 months of evidence of sustainability and focused instead on addressing long-term social and environmental needs to the organization/system.
About Solventum
On April 1, 2024, 3M announced that its healthcare business is now a standalone company, Solventum. Solventum puts people and their wellbeing at the heart of every scientific advancement they pursue to help change lives for the better. They are ushering a new era of care with expertise spanning the industry — from medical surgical and dental solutions to health information systems and purification and filtration.
