Environmental Stewardship in Nursing: A Call to Action

press release: The healthcare industry, like all industries, has an ecological footprint. And that footprint affects the environment, which, in turn, affects patient health outcomes. This is a growing concern for clinicians who work to improve patient health and wellbeing, and increasingly providers are evaluating the way their health systems function so that their practices do not undermine the care they deliver.

As the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, nurses have great opportunity to create and promote sustainability in healthcare, according to Dr. Elizabeth Schenk, Providence–Washington State University Nurse Scientist. Schenk will delve into the environmental impacts of nursing practice when she comes to UW–Madison as the 2019 Nurses Week keynote speaker.

Schenk will deliver a free public talk, “Environmental Stewardship in Nursing: A Call to Action,” on Thursday, May 2 in the UW–Madison School of Nursing Signe Skott Cooper Hall auditorium. Doors open at 10 am, and the 75-minute address begins at 10:15 am.

A large carbon footprint is at odds with nursing practice and health system goals. Nurses and other clinicians dedicate their careers to promoting overall health and wellness for their patients and communities. In many cases, they treat and prevent health conditions that are caused or aggravated by extreme weather, poor air quality, and other environmental factors attributed to climate change. Yet, current healthcare practices contribute to a large portion of the country’s energy consumption and pollution emissions, including 10% of the nation’s greenhouse gases. This perpetuates climate change and unhealthy living environments.

As the largest professional group within healthcare, nurses are in a unique position to lead efforts in reducing the industry’s ecological footprint. “There are about 4 million nurses in the United States, so we have a lot of power to push for change,” said Jessica LeClair, a School of Nursing clinical faculty member who specializes in environmental health and sustainability in healthcare. “We work in all communities with individuals, families, systems, and policies. Nurses and other healthcare practitioners are trained to advocate for health, communicate risk, and manage complex systems. It is through these essential roles that we are ideally placed to influence public health, clinical care, and emergency services to reduce and respond to the health effects of environmental issues.”

Schenk’s lecture will address environmental stewardship in nursing and the environmental impacts of healthcare head-on. In particular, she will highlight the problem of healthcare pollution and how nurses can engage in pollution reduction. She will also explore progress and opportunities to mitigate the environmental crisis, particularly as it relates to health and nursing practice.

“Environmental stewardship in nursing is important, and I am proud that the School of Nursing is able to lead in connecting a breadth of people on this topic,” said Linda D. Scott, School of Nursing dean. “I look forward to welcoming Dr. Schenk to our school and having her share insights with our community in honor of Nurses Week.”