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Toronto, ON, June 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HealthPRO Canada, in partnership with the National Healthcare Innovation Council, is proud to recognize the winners of the inaugural Healthcare Innovation Den, a national initiative created to address a persistent challenge in healthcare: ensuring proven innovations have a pathway to broader adoption and impact.
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Held during HealthPRO Canada’s 30th Annual General Meeting & Partner Summit, the Healthcare Innovation Den brought together nearly 500 healthcare leaders, procurement experts, clinicians, innovators, and decision-makers from across Canada. The event showcased commercially ready solutions addressing some of the country’s most pressing healthcare challenges, including cost optimization, hospital capacity and patient flow, and equitable access to care in remote and rural communities.
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The inaugural Healthcare Innovation Den attracted 46 submissions from across Canada, with six finalists selected by the National Healthcare Innovation Council to present live before a national panel of judges: Arlene Dickinson, renowned entrepreneur and investor; Ron Johnson, Chair of the National Healthcare Innovation Council and Interim CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services; and Dr. Matthew Bromwich, paediatric otolaryngology surgeon at CHEO.
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Each winner received a $10,000 prize made possible through the generous support of
HealthPRO Canada’s Strategic Prize Contributor, Sandoz, and Innovation Supporters. The awards were presented by the Honourable Stephen Crawford, Ontario’s Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement.
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“Innovation is not the challenge; scale is,” said Mr. Johnson. “The Healthcare Innovation Den showcased Canadian solutions that are ready to make an impact. Our role is to help create the pathways that support adoption and bring those innovations to more healthcare organizations.”
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In addition, HealthPRO Canada will work with the winners to explore potential pathways to procurement and adoption, including opportunities through HealthPRO Canada’s innovation and sourcing programs where appropriate.
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“Across Canada, healthcare organizations are facing growing pressure to do more with limited resources while improving access and patient outcomes,” said Christine Donaldson, President and CEO of HealthPRO Canada. “Innovators are developing solutions that can help address these challenges, but too often there is no clear pathway to broader adoption. The mission of the National Healthcare Innovation Council and the Healthcare Innovation Den is to help close this gap.”
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2026 Healthcare Innovation Den Finalists and Winners
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| Challenge Area | Organization | Outcome |
| Cost Optimization & Avoidable Utilization | HALO Telemonitoring (Ontario) A virtual monitoring solution reducing reliance on one-to-one observation while improving patient safety. | Winner |
| Precare (Quebec) A digital care pathway platform reducing surgical cancellations and readmissions through improved patient engagement. | Finalist | |
| Hospital Capacity & Patient Flow | DischargeHUB (Newfoundland & Labrador) A managed service and platform accelerating discharge planning and reducing length of stay. | Winner |
| VitalHub – PathWays (Ontario) A coordinated care platform improving referrals, discharge flow, and system-wide capacity visibility. | Finalist | |
| Access to Care (Including Remote and Rural) | Virtual Hallway (Nova Scotia) A digital access platform enabling rapid specialist consultation and reducing unnecessary referrals. | Winner |
| TeleVU (Ontario) A real-time virtual care platform connecting frontline clinicians with remote specialists to improve access to care. | Finalist |
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