Healthcare Workers Care about Climate Because We Care about our Patients

Resources for climate advocacy for healthcare workers:

 

Biggest reasons healthcare workers don’t act: lack of time, lack of knowledge, lack of organization. Remember, just talking about climate change in the context of your spheres of influence HELPS!

 

1. Wear a button. You can get one at climate Rx or even better, make your own to show solidarity in your place of work. Ask a non-medical person to help you. You can communicate to patients without actually talking about this, which can save time.

2. My green doctor. This helps you incorporate sustainability quickly into busy practices.

3. Need some inspiration?

    a. Listen to the Climate Clinic: Be the Change. Hear some inspiring stories of what HCW are doing.

    b. Learn about Ayanna Elizabeth Johnson’s Venn diagram and TED talk.

    c. Questions about climate change, communicate tips? Visit Katherine Hayhoe’s site.

4. Practice value based care; incorporate susqi, “sustainability” and quality improvement.

5. In a hospital? Consider asking administrators to join Practice Greenhealth or form a sustainability council.

6. Join your state chapter of clinicians for climate action. You will become aware of state legislative activities.

7. An easy way to raise your voice is to use the Climate Action Now App

8. Sign up for legislative days at the state capital or yearly in DC.

9. Vote in EVERY election, no matter how small!

10. Write an editorial for a local paper

11. Sign up for a training from Cambridge health alliance to organize campaigns.  

12. Gaurab Basu’s editorial in Scientific American.

13. Don’t do this on your own! Find a small group to start the work.

 

 

Resources to learn more:

1. Medical Society Consortium on climate and health. This is US based and has webinars.

2. Global consortium on climate and health education.

3. Emory climate curriculum. Recorded lectures with good speakers.

4. Project Echo’s resource library. Curated and classified references. Bookmark this!!

5. The UK site for sustainability. Amazing!

6. Lecture recordings to learn more:

   1. A climate scientist describes science of climate change or do a deep dive course

   2. Climate change on extreme weather. Start at 4:58s

   3. Healthcare mitigation/adaptation.

   4. Air quality.

   5. Water and food related illness as impacted by climate change.

   6. Mental health and climate change.

   7. Temperature related illness.

7. Healthcare sustainability from project ECHO.​​​​

   1. Jodi Sherman's lecture about healthcare sustainability​

   2. Beth Schenk gives another nice overview.

   3. Consider greening initiatives in your hospital; there are now clinical sustainability directors

   4. Jonathon Slutzman and Hardeep Singh's lecture. 

   5. QI projects to "green" clinical practice: examples in the UK​​

8. Tips for communication strategies about climate change