Hear from Laura Porter, PhD, Director of Continuing Education at Cherokee Health Systems (CHS) on their climate resiliency project:
Treading gently on the earth has been one of my personal values for decades. Over the years, I have translated this value into activities to support environmental conscientiousness at Cherokee Health Systems, such as writing a biweekly article on sustainability for the employee newsletter, organizing t-shirt campaigns for Earth Day, and establishing recycling at individual clinics.
In May 2022, CHS signed the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Healthcare Sector pledge. Although not enforced by HHS, the goals in this pledge guide the organization’s strategic plan.
Accomplishments – Big and Little
Here are some of the accomplishments thus far in 2024 at CHS:
- Environmental sustainability and climate resilience considerations have been incorporated into the design of CHS’ new facility in Lenoir City, Tennessee, including a solar grid and LEED certification. Learn more about solar grids for FQHCs.
- CHS offered a three-hour continuing education program on climate resilience to 108 behavioral health providers, case managers, peer support, and day treatment staff. Contact Tiffany Priest (TPCA) for provider & staff educational resources.
- CHS launched a “turn off lights, monitors, and sound machines” campaign (see graphic below) in staff meetings and the employee newsletter to develop new habits around reducing unnecessary energy use.
- CHS developed a Climate Champions Team that meets monthly to develop initiatives and opportunities.
- The Climate Champions Team collaborates with Human Resource’s Wellness Initiative to promote environmentally sustainable behaviors. Each month, HR challenges staff participants to achieve gold, silver, or bronze level goals on a wellness topic (i.e., exercise, sleep); the Climate Champions Team offers corresponding goals with climate-related impacts.
Big impacts, like installing a large-scale solar grid, and little changes, like turning off a sound machine, all matter. As we see every day in healthcare, the little things, like a welcoming smile or an outreach call, can be especially powerful as we navigate the big things, like a global pandemic, the opioid epidemic, or health inequities.
Other “big things” are happening, too. We all live on a planet that is warming – definitely a big thing. Each big and little thing matters now as we face, together, the consequences of changing climate and extreme weather. We, in healthcare, are fortunately in privileged positions to make real and immediate impact.
Ready to begin?
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- Solicit staff interest and ideas.
- Identify a climate champion or team of champions.
- Be prepared to offer guidance and direction to those eager to participate but uncertain about how to do so.
- Avoid the politicization of climate change.
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- Frame climate resilience as a public health topic.
- When asking staff to act, include information about the health-related reason.
- Offer a specific action(s) in conjunction with any educational information.
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- Begin with easy-to-manage actions that are relevant to all (campaigns to recycle cardboard or decrease paper use, reduce energy use, annual e-cycling events).
- Encourage teamwork and promote outcomes (photos, shout-outs).
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