HEALTHPRO CANADA'S INAUGURAL HEALTHCARE INNOVATION DEN CONNECTS CANADA'S TOP HEALTHCARE INNOVATORS WITH PATHWAYS TO ADOPTION

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

"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." 

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. 

"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." 

2026 Healthcare Innovation Den Finalists and Winners 

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

Supporting Healthcare Innovation 

HealthPRO Canada gratefully acknowledges the support of its Strategic Prize Contributor, Sandoz, and Innovation Supporters Accord, AssistIQ, BD, BOMImed, Dafco Filtration Group, Fresenius Kabi, Healthcare Celltrion, Hikma, STERIS, and Sterinova, whose generous contributions enabled the $10,000 awards presented to each of the three Healthcare Innovation Den winners. These awards are intended to help winning innovators scale their solutions and support broader adoption. 
 
About HealthPRO Canada 

HealthPRO Canada delivers solutions to Canada's most complex healthcare procurement needs. As a national healthcare procurement organization, HealthPRO Canada partners with healthcare organizations across the country to strengthen system performance, reduce costs, and support high-quality patient care through trusted suppliers, data-driven insights, innovation, and national scale. 

Serving more than 2,000 healthcare facilities across nine provinces and three territories, HealthPRO Canada leverages the collective purchasing power and expertise of its members to improve value, strengthen supply chain resiliency, and accelerate access to innovative solutions. As a member-owned organization, HealthPRO Canada returns 100% of profits to its members, helping support frontline healthcare delivery and better patient care across Canada. 

Jennifer Potvin, Vice President, Strategy & Partnerships 
HealthPRO Canada 
905-568-3478
jpotvin@healthprocanada.com

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