Gresham Smith’s Post

Our latest thought-provoking editorial "How #HealthcareSystems Negatively Impact #EnvironmentalHealth? The Need for Institutional Commitment to Reduce the #EcologicalFootprint of #MedicalServices" is now published! In this editorial, we explore the often-overlooked #EnvironmentalImpact of healthcare systems. We emphasize the urgent need for a systemic shift in how medical services consider their ecological footprint. Healthcare professionals have a responsibility to not only care for the health of their patients but also to safeguard the health of our planet, adopting a #OneHealth approach. This piece calls for a concerted effort from institutions at all levels to integrate #EnvironmentalSustainability into healthcare practices. The connection between the health of our environment and the health of our communities is undeniable. We believe that as part of the healthcare community, we have the power and responsibility to lead this change. Let's open up the dialogue and take concrete steps towards a healthcare system that is both effective and environmentally conscious. I had the privilege of collaborating with Andrea Baccarelli, Incoming Dean of the School of Public Health at Harvard University, Vasilis Vasiliou, Chair of the Yale University School of Public Health, @Fernando Simón, Director of the Spanish Coordinating Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies at the Ministry of Health, Stela Karaj, Chief of Cabinet at the European University of Tirana, Alessandro Miani, President of Società Italiana di Medicina Ambientale, Prisco Piscitelli, Vice-President of SIMA, and all the other co-authors. https://lnkd.in/dUASsdiK https://lnkd.in/dbctQ2Ed #Healthcare #EnvironmentalHealth #EnvironmentalChemistry #Sustainability #PublicHealth

Our friends at the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine are conducting a short survey about your views on sustainable critical care. Head to https://lnkd.in/ePeYFaTv to let them know what you think about environmental sustainability in your practice

Greening Your Medical Practice: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint While Saving Money | January 29, 2024 Facilitated by Dr. Todd Sack and sponsored by University of Texas Health and Physicians for Social Responsibility. In this session, the attendees will be able to explain the impacts of outpatient healthcare upon environmental quality and climate change, 2. know what open access resources are available for practice managers and health professionals to 'green' their practices, and 3. be able to initiate a practical, accessible, money-saving, and climate-saving environmental sustainability practice management program in their offices and clinics. https://zurl.co/yYKN

Laboratory sustainability is an opportunity to evolve. 🌍🌱♻️ Worldwide studies have shown that the typical diagnostic laboratory facilities uses more energy and water than the typical office building. Given this facts we should be sensitive to the importance of adopting good environmental practices.

We're looking for YOUR insights on environmental sustainability in administrative fellowships! 🍃 Complete this short survey to help us understand how environmental sustainability efforts are woven into the projects and rotations of administrative fellowships. https://lnkd.in/gPwsYRhJ

Are you wondering how your innovative team stacks up in terms of Team Climate, Resilience, Innovation Processes? Invest some time to fill out this survey and find out how your group compares. I'm looking forward to seeing the results!

If you're attending the Idaho Society for Healthcare Engineering (ISHE) Spring Conference this week, don't miss Traci Hanegan’s, PE, presentation this Thursday titled, "HVAC in the Age of Pandemics: Equipment and Operational Strategy for Resilience and Human Health." Traci will explore how the built environment impacts occupant health, offer guidance and resources for building resiliency into your facilities, and challenge attendees to reflect on their organizational goals for projects centered around human health and resiliency. - 🔗To learn more, visit the link in our bio.

In our upcoming presentation, we delve into the challenging task of integrating environmental and health data to better understand ecosystem health. We focus on collecting diverse data, including ecological, biological, riparian, and hydromorphological parameters, from different sampling locations. This broad-spectrum data collection is crucial for a comprehensive environmental health assessment. A key aspect of our work is updating health data indicators regionally to reflect current environmental impacts on public health. We also explore the correlation between Earth Observation (EO) resources and Health Data Indicators, reviewing established frameworks like HL7, ECHI, and EU Health Data Spaces. This review aids in creating an integrated and robust approach to health data management. Central to our challenge is identifying a core subset of Health Indicators essential for the One Health initiative, ensuring effective monitoring and response to health-environment interactions. We highlight the use of specialized dashboards for managing and updating the OneAquaHealth Core Health Indicators, thereby enhancing data accessibility and decision-making. Join us as we navigate these complexities, contributing to sustainable health and environmental solutions.

Driving Change with Nurses for the Environment: How can healthcare professionals be involved in driving change in sustainability? Read the interview with Dr Les Strezov, Founder and Chief Scientist of Carbon LCA Certified. Dr Les was interviewed by Nurses for the Environment about the climate crisis. We are proud to work with networks that are dedicated to sustainability and driving change for a better tomorrow. To learn about the Nurses for the Environment Interview with Dr Les, please Click here https://lnkd.in/dTnUEgR8 🌾 ✅ 🌏 #CarbonLCACertified #environmentalproductdeclaration #carbonfootprint #sustainability #LCA #LifecycleAssessment #LifeCycleAnalysis #GoldCoast #carbonfootprint #carbonemissions #netzero #DrLesStrezov #Nursesforthenvironment

The need for medical leaders to put environmental sustainability at the heart of #digitalhealth innovation --> "As such, our study brings to the fore the pressing role that leaders of organisations producing digital health solutions must take on to transition environmental sustainability from an ‘add- on’ issue to a cornerstone health issue placed on an equal footing with ethics, clinical safety and efficacy as the latter are no longer sufficient to ensure the health and well- being of patient populations in the age of the Anthropocene. By increasing lethal exposure to record- breaking temperatures, food and water insecurity and infectious disease transmission, climate change ‘over- burden[s] the most vulnerable populations’ and ‘threatens to reverse years of progress in public health’. Without strong medical leadership prioritising the environmental sustainability of digital health solutions, innovators will be limited in their capacity to develop solutions fit for climate change and their efforts may result in ‘greenwashing’ the industry rather than engaging in transformational change. This is a pressing issue, : ‘with the current global trends, digital health technologies may become ‘trapped’ in development paths steered by profit and economic grains, without any real added value for health systems and society’. It is in this context that innovators call for policy to transform the ‘double burden’ of designing technologies that meet health and environmental criteria into a ‘single duty to care’. They are joined by health system experts calling for policy to integrate a sextuple aim to quality healthcare by also caring for ‘patients, costs, providers, population equity and the planet’." https://lnkd.in/eX5CMTaU #planetaryhealth #healthcare #future #sustainability #leadership #medicine