March 1st 2022 meeting

Feb 23^rd 2022

Hi Folks

Our next meeting will be March 1^st at 10am in the Senior Center. The omicron surge is waning, it is time to resume almost normal activities again. Please wear a mask to the meeting.

February has had more than its usual share of dramatic news. For this meeting I suggest we focus on the role of climate in public health.

For the past year or so I have become involved with a group “Healthcare Professionals for a Healthy Climate”, HPHC for short. This is a Twin Cities based organization with outreach across the state and country. They provide experts to testify to state legislature committees on environmental and health issues in coordination with other professional orgs. Here in Ely we help by writing, telephoning and emailing legislators on a variety of climate and environmental issues. Having input from Greater Minnesota is important to show the strength of the cause. HPHC’s website is here:  https://hpforhc.org/

HPHC is in the midst of planning Code Blue for Patient Earth, a VIRTUAL Conference on April 23, 2022. The conference will be a half day and focus on 3 main topics: ClimateSmart Healthcare, Climate Justice, and Mental Health.  HPHC is also planning to host regional gatherings the evening of Friday April 22, to give health professionals (HPs) across the state an opportunity to learn the basics of climate and health, how they can get involved in climate action, and get a chance to connect and network with HPs in their area.  We should discuss whether and how our group in Ely might want to get involved. I will bring details to the meeting.

Ranae sent me info relevant to this month’s email. Thanks and well done! Five students who were featured in her recent book “Watershed” wrote an article about the book and their reactions to finding themselves in it. That article was published in Creative Nursing Vol. 27 #4 – In It Together: Promoting Planetary Health. A public discussion (hosted by Teddie Potter of HPHC) is available here. Ranae’s part of the story starts just about 50 minutes in. You can watch it here. Ranae and her students

Here are some other topics that you might want to review:

An article in the NYTimes questions the energy independence of the USA. We have fracked oil and gas in abundance, but as we phase out fossil fuels what is the situation like? NYTimes USA energy/Ukraine

Here is a NYTimes article about the value of peatlands to carbon conservation. It is all fancy graphics but nicely done. NYTimes Peatlands store lots of carbon

A recent loss to global health was the death of Paul Farmer. Here is a short article about him: Atlantic magazine – Paul Farmer Global Health

To avoid paywall problems, I have attached an article from the StarTribune about the impressive accomplishments of 2 students from Grand Marais.

Thanks

Barb