As one of the four founding academic units of the Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care (CCCHSC), the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing knows the importance of addressing the impact of climate change on health.
The Faculty has a strong level of representation in the CCCHSC in both education and research, and through the Faculty’s partnerships within the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network (TAHSN).
Quinn Grundy, Associate Director (Nursing) of the CCCHSC and an assistant professor at Bloomberg Nursing, says that existing and emerging areas of expertise within the Faculty, uniquely position Bloomberg Nursing and the nursing profession itself, at the forefront of many issues related to climate change and health.
“Some of the greatest enthusiasm for this work is among our nursing students,” says Grundy. “They have developed a passion for advocacy in this space and are always looking to draw connections between climate change, health, and sustainability within the health system.”
Grundy notes the importance of the BScN students developing the planetary health scorecard for the faculty and using it to bring awareness and catalyze action related to sustainability and climate action in the curricula and the nursing faculty. Her own research team has received a Seed Grant from the CCCHSC, allowing her PhD student Navisha Weerasinghe, and MN student (HSLA) Marilia D’Souza who is supported by the Rosenstadt Research Development Program (RRDP) at Bloomberg Nursing, to create an evidence map examining the impact of harmful plastics and packaging on health products.
“Even as health systems look to adapt and build resilience in the face of climate change, there is also growing recognition of the health care system’s significant carbon footprint and environmental impacts,” says Grundy.
With respect to nursing education, Bloomberg Nursing has been working to integrate a sustainability perspective into its curriculum. Jean Wilson, an assistant professor teaching stream at Bloomberg Nursing and a Faculty fellow with the CCCHSC has already strengthened her global health curriculum in the Master of Nursing, Nurse Practitioner Program to focus on broader concepts of climate change and its impact on health.
“We build a foundation of knowledge for our NP students about the importance of climate action, clean water, and sanitation and its impact from a global perspective, including how it contributes to the spread of communicable diseases. We also encourage students to think critically about how they will respond to the impacts of climate change in their own clinical practice,” says Wilson.
In alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, NP students learn about how extreme weather and climate shifts increase the prevalence of vector borne diseases like West Nile virus, Lyme Disease, and Zika. This is integral knowledge, Wilson adds, because in hospital, primary and community care settings, NPs need to know what these diseases are, how to test for them, and how to treat them.
Another big topic of conversation related to climate impact Wilson says, is the effects of extreme heat on many populations.
“We discuss with students how these weather conditions like extreme heat and forest fires, can disproportionately affect Northern and Indigenous communities, and how we as NP health care leaders can work to mitigate these climate impacts on our patients,” says Wilson.
This includes identifying patients who are at risk and ensuring they have access to facilities such as cooling stations and educating them about how air quality can impact their health. Some clinics, Wilson adds, will reschedule appointments for patients with heart or lung conditions, so they do not need to travel to clinics during periods of peak smog.
NPs, Wilson believes, are especially well placed to be leaders in advocating for both a sustainable health care system and climate action.
“Because of the work that we do in one-on-one clinical interactions and through our work in policy development, NPs have a unique understanding of the impact of climate change on the health of individuals and can make a difference,” says Wilson.
Looking to the future, both Grundy and Wilson say that the nursing is at the forefront of climate action, and they hope that with the CCCHSC there will be continued leadership in this work. A new student training program, and the second annual symposium will once again feature prominent student voices and thought leaders on this important stage in health care innovation.
“Climate change is here, and we will continue to see its impact on our health and health care systems, but how we respond as nurses, educators, and researchers, can make all the difference,” says Grundy.