Nurses Drawdown: A Global Climate Movement for Nurses

By Katie Huffling, RN, MS, CNM, FAAN

When a small group of nurses first got together nine months ago to strategize how we could harness the collective power of nurses to address climate change, we had no idea what changes 2020 would hold for the nursing community. We were excited for the Year of the Nurse and Midwife and Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday. What better time to bring nurses together to address climate change, one of the most pressing public health challenges we currently face?

Still the most trusted profession.

Now here we are midway through 2020 and the world seems completely different, with much of the globe still in quarantine as we battle COVID-19. But one thing hasn’t changed, and in fact the response to the pandemic has only made it more apparent to the world: nurses truly deserve the title of the most trusted profession. We are now in the spotlight, showing the exceptional professionalism, caring, and passion that are hallmarks of our profession. It is these qualities we are hoping to harness with the new initiative, Nurses Drawdown. If we can be leaders in responding to the global pandemic, nurses can be leaders in supporting solutions to climate change.

Nurses around the globe are invited to participate in Nurses Drawdown. The initiative is based on the science of Project Drawdown, a “research organization that reviews, analyses, and identifies the most viable global climate solutions, […]

2020-08-05T10:30:58-04:00August 5th, 2020|climate change, environmental health, environmental health, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments
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Coronavirus Casting Environmental, Climate Issues Into Sharp Relief

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the vital link between public health and the environment.

Since 1970, April 22 has been designated Earth Day. The theme of this year’s observations, held digitally due to the pandemic, is climate action, with the organizers calling climate change “the biggest challenge to the future of humanity.”

The biggest immediate challenge facing humanity is coronavirus. Yet, just as the pandemic’s economic fallout highlights the interconnectedness of health and the economy, this crisis underscores the ongoing environmental emergency and its link to public health.

Air pollution and COVID-19 deaths.

Since coronavirus first emerged, there’s been speculation about a link between air pollution and severe illness or death. Early this month, a nationwide study conducted by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health offered evidence of a connection: even a small increase in long-term exposure to fine particulate matter—dangerous inhalable solids or liquid droplets in the air—is associated with a large increase in the COVID-19 death rate.

The inhalation of fine particulate matter is known to cause inflammation and damage to the lungs, making a person more susceptible to asthma, heart conditions, and other health problems. Fuel combustion—for example, automobile and industrial emissions—is one of the main sources of […]

2020-04-22T08:31:24-04:00April 22nd, 2020|environmental health, Public health|0 Comments
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Are You Checking for Ticks?

” . . . cases of tick-borne diseases [in the U.S.] increased more than twofold between 2004 and 2017. . . .Tick-borne diseases now make up more than three-quarters of all vector-borne disease reports.”

I live in a small town dotted with grassy and wooded areas, brush, and plenty of mammalian wildlife, so the possibility of contact with ticks is present even on a walk to the compost bin or train station.

I’ve become really good at tick identification and removal, but I can’t claim any special expertise in recognizing the early signs of tick-borne diseases.

CDC warns of tick-borne rickettsial disease increase.

For that information, we have help this month from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff, who steer readers to new resources in the Update from the CDC column in AJN’s July issue, “Increase in Reports of Tick-Borne Rickettsial Diseases in the United States.”

Alison Binder and Paige Armstrong tell us about the CDC’s new online training toolkit and learning module, both designed to raise awareness about tick-borne rickettsial diseases. […]

2019-07-08T09:03:50-04:00July 8th, 2019|environmental health, infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|2 Comments
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Nurses Concerned About Removal of Key Children’s Health Advocate at EPA

At the end of September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with no explanation, placed the director of the Office of Children’s Health Protection (OCHP), Dr. Ruth Etzel, on administrative leave. This sidelining of a vocal children’s health advocate as the office was heading into October, Children’s Environmental Health Month, was concerning for all who work in children’s environmental health.

The OCHP’s essential role.

The OCHP was created under an executive order in 1997 as public consciousness was increasing about the special vulnerabilities of children to environmental hazards. It is housed in the Office of the Administrator so as to be able to provide guidance to EPA leadership and ensure that children’s health protection is prioritized throughout the agency’s activities. This is essential because, as many have observed, children are not simply miniature adults—what they eat, drink, and breathe can profoundly affect their physical and mental development, while their hand-to-mouth and on-the-floor activities put them at greater risk for exposures from environmental hazards.

The office provides essential resources for health professionals and the public on environmental health issues such as environmental triggers of asthma and how parents can reduce exposures, reducing exposures to lead, and air quality in schools. The OCHP-produced report, 

2018-10-31T11:54:23-04:00October 31st, 2018|environmental health, health care policy, nursing perspective, Public health|0 Comments
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What Are We Breathing In?

Photo © Shutterstock.

For people who haven’t given much thought to “particulate matter” as a health hazard, the wildfires in the western United States remind us of how ambient smoke affects quality of life. Even communities not devastated by the fires—and often hundreds of miles away from them—have seen and experienced the effects of the smoke from these fires.

In this month’s AJN, authors Jessica Castner and Barbara Polivka explore particulate matter exposure and its effects on health in their article “Nursing Practice and Particulate Matter Exposure” (free until September 18). Using a detailed case history as an example, the authors offer guidance on nursing assessment and interventions to address particulate matter exposures. They also remind us how easy it is to encounter these pollutants.

“Common outdoor sources of particulate matter include industrial and traffic emissions, power plant emissions, wildfires, and wood stoves. Indoor sources include smoking, wood fires, cooking, and cooking fuels . . . mold; air fresheners and scented products; aerosolized cleaning and personal care products; and dust from carpeting, upholstery, and bedding.”

Air pollution: a host of associated ills.

While we often think of the respiratory problems that can result from this type of air pollution, Castner and Polivka point out […]

2018-09-04T09:14:24-04:00September 4th, 2018|environmental health, Nursing|1 Comment
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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