Health Care SOS: Sharing on Sustainability

In this podcast episode, Dr. Divyansh Agarwal shares his perspectives on climate change and bringing sustainability to the operating room. He also discusses his recent work related to the life cycle assessment of reusable vs. single use scrub caps. For more information about Dr. Agarwal, as well as resources relevant to this episode, please check out our landing page at massgeneral.org/healthcaresos. Support us on Other!

In this podcast episode, you’ll hear from Dr. Elizabeth Pinsky, a pediatrician and child psychiatrist. She shares her perspectives about climate activism and advocacy, and a recipe for how to incorporate this important work into professional life in the healthcare system. For more information about Dr. Pinsky, as well as resources relevant to this episode, please check out our landing page at massgeneral.org/healthcaresos. Support us on Other!

In 2022, 102 organizations representing 837 hospitals signed the White House Health Sector Climate Pledge. In addition to the private sector, federal systems are working to meet similar goals. Combined, this represents over 15% of U.S. hospitals that have committed to cutting carbon emissions with a net zero goal. Taking inventory of one’s carbon footprint is one of the earliest steps to achieve this ambitious but necessary net zero target. In this podcast episode, we discuss what conducting a carbon emission inventory entails. For more information on this podcast, our guests, and additional resources go to: https://www.massgeneral.org/environment-and-health/healthcaresos Support us on Other!

In this episode we speak with Dr. Mike Zalis, the Director of the newly formed Mass General Brigham Radiology Center for Sustainability, about the Center's mission and opportunities for climate-smart healthcare in radiology. For more information on this podcast, our guests, and additional resources go to: https://www.massgeneral.org/environment-and-health/healthcaresos Support us on Other!

In this podcast episode, we are going to chat with two college students, Sara Weinberg and Cole Peterson, to share as case examples about the mutually beneficial relationships and opportunities for growth that can come from working together at an academic medical center on healthcare sustainability. You can visit our landing page at massgeneral.org/healthcaresos for their bios, and links to resources that we will discuss. Support us on Other!

In the United States, it is estimated that operating rooms contribute approximately 30% of the 5 million tons of waste generated by hospitals each year. And of that OR waste, about 20% comes from blue wrap. In this episode, Barbara Belanger, a perioperative nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital discusses some key initiatives around her OR: blue wrap recycling and food waste diversion. Please check out our landing page at https://www.massgeneral.org/environment-and-health/healthcaresos, where you will also find links to resources discussed in this podcast. You may also find our recorded webinars related to perioperative sustainability of interest: Waste Reduction, Recycling and Circular Economy Opportunities (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB9Nubenzr8) and Mitigating Anesthesia’s Impact on the Environment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C7tF5y3bTk) Support us on Other!

Pollution and the climate crisis are having enormous impact on the health of our patients. But are we teaching our future physicians how to recognize, manage, or prevent these consequences? Dr. Jake Fox, a third-year internal medicine resident at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses how he pushed for more education on these issues, and other ways he is trying to make a difference. For more information on this podcast, our guests, and additional resources go to: https://www.massgeneral.org/environment-and-health/healthcaresos Support us on Other!

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Melanie Haines, who is an endocrinologist in the Neuroendocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Haines has always been passionate about environmental conservation. But she felt a new call to action after a patient of hers was admitted to the hospital with a serious medical condition exacerbated by an extreme heat event in Boston, 2021. Dr. Haines shares how she took this call to action and transformed it into a project to address environmental injustice, with guidance from mentors, funding from an MGH Department of Medicine Community Scholar Award, and a partnership with Boston-based organization called CREW. This partnership hosted three summer 2022 community events to provide local residents education and resources, including air conditioning units, in an effort to prevent heat-related illness. For more information on this podcast, our guests, and additional resources go to: https://www.massgeneral.org/environment-and-health/healthcaresos Support us on Other!

In this episode, Dr. Sam Smith discusses the action that he and his multidisciplinary team have taken to reduce the carbon footprint of anesthesia at Mass General Hospital. For more information on this podcast, our guests, and additional resources go to: https://www.massgeneral.org/environment-and-health/healthcaresos Support us on Other!

In this episode, Dr. Paul Biddinger discusses the critical need to plan our health care system around climate change and its consequences. He reviews a multidisciplinary approach, initial steps and aspects to consider, as well as obstacles to disaster preparedness. For more information on this podcast, our guests, and additional resources go to: https://www.massgeneral.org/environment-and-health/healthcaresos Support us on Other!

We discuss educating nurses and other health professionals about climate change and their role in: educating patients; mitigating the effects of climate change; scholarship and collaboration; and getting involved at the community level. For more information on this podcast, our guests, and additional resources go to: https://www.massgeneral.org/environment-and-health/healthcaresos Support us on Other!

In this episode, Dr. Duhaime discusses the history of the Journal of Climate Change and Health and opportunities related to publications. She then discusses the environmental impact of research, introduces steps that researchers can consider in greening their labs, and describes the consult service created at MGH to help investigators with these efforts. For more information on this podcast, our guests, and additional resources go to: https://www.massgeneral.org/environment-and-health/healthcaresos Support us on Other!

In this episode, we discuss why waste audits are useful. We review the planning and the logistics involved with conducting a hospital waste audit. Our guests include hospitalists that led a 24-hour waste audit on a 20-bed inpatient unit at MGH, and the director of the Environmental Services Department at MGH. For more information on this podcast, our guests, and additional resources go to: https://www.massgeneral.org/environment-and-health/healthcaresos Support us on Other!

Environmental sustainability as it pertains to the health care system is a topic of increasingly recognized importance. In this episode, our guest Dr. Jonathan Slutzman, the director of the Center for the Environment and Health at Mass General Hospital, discusses the process of creating a sustainability program at our hospital. Dr. Slutzman provides insight into the clinical, financial, and environmental benefits of these sustainability practices. He also suggests key steps to consider in developing similar programs at other institutions. For more information on this podcast, our guests, and additional resources go to: https://www.massgeneral.org/environment-and-health/healthcaresos Support us on Other!