Just Another Nurse with a Passion and a Purpose...

When I opened by phone and looked at the "legal" tab under settings- I was shocked. Quite a bit of information is held there. However, it says that my iphone "has been tested and maintains and meets applicable limits for radio frequency (RF) exposure" But How do I know? What does the evidence say about this? Most reading I could find came from the EU. What does America have to hide? Well it seems this a race to technology , and not about human health. Every article I searched talked more about how we need to "win" 5G and "beat out China" in our sprint to the finish to get 5G networks up and running... Should we be concerned that 5G is headed our way ? The industry tells us it is "the next great thing" "Will give us more speed"...But is this good for our health? Do we care about RF exposure in this country. Here is what our commission on   Federal Communications has to say about it: The  FDA maintains a...

How do we GREEN healthcare? This industry relies on single use efficiency for both safety and convenience. So how do we ever really go Green? This is going to take real initiative and change from the inside-out. We need the providers and delivery agents to change their practice. And demonstrate that this CAN be done and still be safe and efficient. The team at Harvard is on this march towards more sustainability. We can also change the narrative of WHY this is so important. If providers do not believe in Climate change or how a zip code influences genetic code- then we have a real problem. At UCSF they are hitting it from all angles. Educating providers, patients and the the administration about why this movement is needed and critical. Nurses can lead this change at the forefront. I was on the green committe at my local hospital. This was HARD work. No one really wanted to have to deposit meds, sharps, waste into multiple bins. We got pushback from leadership saying it was ...

Renewable Energy is critical to the health of our planet. How we continue to be swept up in the current of disbelief surrounding climate change and use of non-renewable energy sources boggles my mind. I was encouraged by the readings on how the U.S. has goals for reaching certain levels of renewable resources. I just hope this is not yet another cloud.. Choosing solar, wind, biomass, efficiency standards remains a privilege in this country. We need to recognize that not all people get the opportunity to choose their source of power. The cost remains high and is limited to those who own their own homes. Living in a LEED or other certified green home is also not a choice for the masses. New properties are beginning to adopt these standards more readily- but the technology, the efficiency exists and we should be promoting this further through government subsidy. In California we have more ability to do this- but many states do not. This local CA fact sheets provides great informati...

How can we strengthen our voice as nurses for climate change? A 2018 article by the American Academy of Nursing on Policy recommended 8 principles for nurses to take a lead on bringing this critically important issue to the forefront: 1. Reduce sources of pollution that contribute to climate change . a. Mobilize, focus, incentivize, and increase national funding for climate protective actions. b. Oppose any rollback of climate protective polices addressing fuel economy standards, power plant emissions, and other sources of atmospheric carbon. c. Support climate protective initiatives at the community level, emphasizing the needs of populations and communities most affected. d. Advocate for community actions to incorporate renewable sources of energy, more fuel-efficient options for transportation, waste management, agricultural and forest management, and more energy-efficient buildings. e. Promote environmentally sustainable practices (e.g., reduction of medical waste) througho...

How do we continue to waste 40% of the Earths contribution of food?? We have 1 in 8 Americans fighting to get food and yet we waste more than we provide to our own citizens. We need to raise our voices about this issue. This issue CAN be solved. We can be more conscience consumers, better custodians of our excess food and work with companies to donate more of their food to feed our own people instead of feeding the landfill. We can also do a better job at community composting to stop unnecessary food from going to waste when we NEED to produce healthier and more earth friendly soil. If we are going to waste, lets at least have an upside. Cities should unite and begin large scale composting to reduce landfill contributions and raise the consciousness of our citizens. There are many ways we can improve our consumption and contribute to the recovery of our food sources. We can also affect change of policy to reflect a more sustainable model. We need to first KNOW the ...

Over 70 million children around the world work in hazardous conditions in agriculture, mining, domestic labor, and other sectors. On tobacco farms, children work long hours in extreme heat, exposed to nicotine and toxic pesticides that can make them sick. In Africa, Asia, and Latin America, child laborers in artisanal and small-scale gold mines work underground in pits that easily collapse and use toxic mercury to process the gold, risking brain damage and other serious health conditions. We are working to end the worst forms of child labor and to ensure that all children are protected from jobs that interfere with their health, safety, and education. Source:  https://www.hrw.org/topic/childrens-rights/child-labor How does this practice continue? How in the U.S. do we still permit this? I cried watching the videos about this. It seems like we have not made much headway on this since the 1700's. We continue to see the health and economic effects of child labor. It is clear that...