Climate gracefully tears down traditional healthcare hierarchies, and together they show courage in standing up as future health professionals in calling attention to the dark side of health care.” Creating a more sustainable healthcare system is a complex task, but HSHC plays an important role by empowering the next generation of healthcare providers to create the changes they wish to see. For HSHC, change begins within the Academic Health Center. HSHC hopes that the university’s healthcare programs will incorporate sustainabilityfocused goals into vision statements and curricula. This would add further voices to the growing number of organizations who have declared climate change to be a major threat to public health, including the American Public Health Association, the Minnesota Department of Health, the Lancet Commission, and the World Health Organization. To determine students’ attitudes toward change, HSHC partnered with the Global Health Student Advisory Board (GHSAB) and sent a survey to students in the Academic Health Center. Assistance from staff members Dr. Teddie Potter, PhD, RN, FAAN at the School of Nursing, and Dr. Phillip Peterson, MD from the Medical School, amplified the survey’s reach resulting in over 200 student responses, of which 139 respondents provided retrospective permission to use the data. The majority of respondents thought that our changing climate directly impacts the health of patients a “great deal” (53%) or a “moderate amount” (34%). The majority also wanted health professional curriculum to address the health impacts of climate change a “great deal” (40%) or a “moderate amount” (43%). Importantly, 60% of students said “yes,” the Academic Health Center Schools should incorporate addressing the connection between human health, animal health, and the health of the climate into the schools’ mission statements. 14% replied “not at this MetroDoctors
time,” and the remainder were unsure. HSHC co-founder and third year medical student Leida Voulgaropoulos is energized by the students’ response. “The response from our colleagues across healthcare disciplines reveals an opportunity for more discussion and formal education in health professional schools about the effects of climate change on health.” In 2017, as a result of student demand, the Interprofessional Education Committee incorporated information about climate change into the “Foundations of Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration” course, which reached 1,100 students, 60 preceptors, and 17 programs on five different campuses. This curriculum change is considered “Phase I” of a three-phase process to prepare healthcare students to care for patients and become leaders amidst the challenges that climate change entails. The momentum gained from the student survey and curriculum changes, coupled with HSHC’s other activities, forms an optimistic future. Another campus change led by HSHC members Anya Butzer, BSN student, and Emma Butzer, RN, DNP student, is a composting initiative in the student lounge at the “Center for Health Interprofessional Programs.” Emma Butzer notes that “It was amazing to see its success right off the bat. There was no need to advertise or inform the students on the matter; the compost bin was utilized immediately!” HSHC has partnered with other student groups to host speakers over the lunch hour, attended the Women’s March and Climate March in 2017, hosted an advocacy workshop, volunteered at the Prospect Park Community Gardens, and hosts a monthly “Climate Conversation” where students discuss current events or important articles. Voulgaropoulos concludes “We have had an exciting and busy first year and are looking forward to establishing ourselves on campus and continuing to create events and
The Journal of the Twin Cities Medical Society
initiatives that motivate our peers to take action on issues related to climate change and health.” To learn more about Health Students for a Healthy Climate or become involved with their work, please visit their website at: http://www.hpforhc. org/student-group.html or find them on facebook at https://www.facebook. com/umnhshc/. Kristen Bastug is a third year medical student at the University of Minnesota. She graduated in 2015 from the University of St. Thomas with a BS in Biology and a minor in Theology. Kristen has worked on a recycling quality improvement project at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, serves as a member of the Twin Cities Medical Society’s Environmental Health Task Force, and helped establish the interprofessional student organization “Health Students for a Healthy Climate” at the University of Minnesota. Ms. Bastug can be reached at bastu004@umn.edu. Sources 1. Eckelman, Matthew J., and Sherman, Jodi. “Environmental Impacts of the U.S. Health Care System and Effects on Public Health.” Ed. Shama Ahmad. PLoS ONE 11.6 (2016): e0157014. PMC. Web. 29 Oct. 2017. 2. Practice GreenHealth 2010. 3. Statista.com: https://www.statista.com/statistics/185860/number-of-all-hospital-beds-inthe-us-since-2001/.
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