Sustainable Healthcare Newsletter
Welcome to the new look Sustainable Healthcare News for September 2018!
This month we share some GGHH case studies and preview the upcoming Climate and Health Alliance Symposium scheduled for 21 September 2018. There’s an update on the GGHH Pacific network and the Our Climate Our Health campaign for a National Strategy on Climate, Health and Well-being for Australia.
Thanks for your continued interest and support for CAHA and Global Green and Healthy Hospitals. We are a not for profit organisation relying on grants and donations so your support is critical. Please consider contributing to CAHA and our work to secure a sustainable future for health and for the health of the Australian community.
Climate and Health Alliance
http://www.caha.org.au/
P.S. We are trying a new design and would appreciate your feedback.
News
GGHH welcomes Far North Queensland Sustainability and Health Group
Far North Queensland Sustainability and Health Group is a group of health practitioners and GPs working to improve sustainability practices in the region. We can connect interested health professionals living and working in Cairns to the group, email us at [email protected]. You can also refer health services and organisations to this email for GGHH membership.
Anaesthetic Gases – Greenhouse Gas reductions – Western Health, Melbourne
Not sure where to start on your green health journey? Reading through our case studies can be a great place to start.
Anaesthetics gases have similar clinical effects and can be interchanged, however, there is a marked difference in the greenhouse gas emissions associated with anaesthetic agents. Western Health have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions and saved money, simply by reviewing and changing the anaesthetic gases they use. This case study details how they implemented the change and the challenges they overcame.
GGHH members ANMF (Vic Branch) and Western Health Vic sustainability awards finalists
Congratulations to ANMF (Vic Branch) and Western Health for becoming 2018 Premier’s Sustainability
Awards finalists. This is a significant achievement for two GGHH members and a recognition of the importance of the work that we are all doing to produce more environmentally sustainable health services. There have been a number of GGHH members who have received the award in past years including Melbourne Health.
Climate-constrained healthcare
Melissa Sweet outlines the need for a National strategy on climate and health and features the great work of health services in the GGHH Pacific network. In her comprehensive article published in Inside Story discusses the inaction of the current Federal government on the issue of climate and health to the detriment of Australian public health.
Climate Challenge update
Providence St. Joseph Health is the latest system to join the Health Care Climate Challenge with a stated goal of decreasing carbon emissions by 30 percent and waste generation by 50 percent by 2025. If you are having trouble talking to your organisation about joining the challenge, the GGHH has developed talking points to make it easier. Use the talking points and sample emails to make the ask today.
“Climate change is a health issue”
While the title of this article may not come as a surprise to readers of this newsletter, Dr Peter Sainsbury (CAHA president) and Dr David Pencheon provide an excellent overview of just why climate change is inextricably linked to health. The article also discusses details on carbon emissions from the Australian healthcare sector and important lessons to be learnt from climate action in healthcare in the UK.
Case studies from around the globe
Case studies from GGHH members from around the globe can provide inspiration on how to implement achievable goals. The Landspitali Hospital in Iceland found that the second largest contributor to the hospital’s carbon footprint was how employees travel to and from work. They have found that the number of employees travelling “eco-friendly” has almost doubled during summer.
New report flips climate and economic thinking on its head
If you are ever speaking with your health service leadership about the economic benefits of sustainable practices in health, some of the findings in this new climate economy report might help. The report found that rather than being a threat to economic activity, bold climate action could yield direct economic gains of $26 trillion compared to business as usual. Watch the video here.
100% RE program
Health Care Without Harm is encouraging hospitals, health centres and health systems all around the world to commit to 100% renewable electricity in the lead up to the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS), which will take place in San Francisco, California on September 12-14, 2018.
Climate for Health talking points
It can be difficult to broach the conversation on climate and health at work. Climate for Health have developed some useful talking points covering The New Normal: Changing Seasons, Changing Lives. The document provides some important discussion points and evidence-based counterpoints to key criticisms of climate change arguments. This information is particularly important at the moment, given the current devastating drought and bushfires in Australia. Climate for Health puts up new topics in alternating months, take a look through their previous topics for even more information.
Advocacy
Raising the Climate Health agenda
What a month in politics, while we were all concerned about the lack of action coming from the National Energy Guarantee, the Liberal Party was eliminating any progress on climate and energy. As a result we have a new Prime Minister and coal friendly federal government.
What does this mean for health?
It means that there is a greater and more urgent need for health professionals to work together and put climate and health on the political agenda.
As part of the campaign for a national strategy on climate and health, we are planning more activist training events later in the year and early next year and we are excited to introduce Paul Benson, the new CAHA Organiser who will be developing a plan for training and outreach. Paul can be contacted via email [email protected],au if you would like to connect about getting involved. There are also lots of other opportunities to get involved, for more information visit the campaign website or join us on Facebook and/or Twitter.
In the meantime, why not consider:
Climate and Health Alliance events
2018 Climate and Health Symposium
21 September 2018
Carlton, Melbourne
Don’t miss this important Symposium which includes a series of ‘lightning talks’ on the latest policy, advocacy, research and communications on climate change and health. The symposium will bring together leading health, government, academic and industry professionals to discuss challenges, successes and opportunities in climate change and health.
The forum will be followed by the CAHA AGM in Melbourne.
Health events
Australian Public Health Conference
26-28 September 2018
Cairns
The 2018 Australian Public Health Conference will present a national and multi-disciplinary perspective on public health issues. PHAA members and non-members can contribute to discussions on the broad range of public health issues and exchange ideas, knowledge and information on the latest developments in public health.
Find out more about registering here
43rd EHA National Conference
30 October - 2 November 2018
Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle WA
The Environmental Health Australia conference aims to enhance knowledge in the diverse range of issues that are dealt with by Environmental Health Practitioners and allow delegates networking opportunities during the break and social functions.
Webinar: Climate and Health in Emergency Medicine
Live webinar 20 September 1:00pm EDT (US), archived online following event
The Greenhealth Academy will be offering a free online webinar series titled Climate and Health: an Emergency Medicine Perspective. The series begins on 20 September with a session on “physician climate leadership” which will discuss the impact of climate change on human health and how physicians can advocate for a sustainable future.
Education
2019 Community Organising Fellowship for social and environmental justice campaigners
Are you looking to effectively build community power? Are you passionately working for environmental and social justice and looking to broaden your knowledge and experience in campaign strategy and community organising?
If the answer is yes, applications are open for the Change Agency’s Community Organising Fellowship.
Applications close September 30. Click here to download the application form. Successful applicants and wait-listed applicants will be notified by early November.
Nursing for the environment: INTENSIVE
Are you interested in health and environmental sustainability and what to delve deeper? Are you a health professional who wants to know more about how you can make your workplace practices more sustainable?
Then the ANMF (Vic Branch) Nursing for the Environment-INTENSIVE might be for you. This seminar is a crash course in sustainable healthcare that gives you the knowledge and confidence to respond to the issues and to your colleagues, both positively and effectively.
The next seminar is scheduled for 18/10/2018 9:30 am to 4:30pm
Climate and Health Alliance · PO Box 343, Clifton Hill, Victoria 3068, Australia
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You can also keep up with Climate and Health Alliance on Twitter or Facebook.
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