This Environmental Health Seminar for Nurses and Midwives was held at the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) in April this year, where health professionals came together to tackle the big issues.

More than 40 nurses and midwives attended this successful seminar which saw multiple discussion groups formed and allowed an opportunity for activists to ask many questions of the experts.

Why is this important?
Nurses and midwives have a professional responsibility, through their Code of Ethics, to ensure that they understand environmental health and sustainable healthcare and apply this concept to their practice in all health organisations such as hospitals, aged care facilities and community health.

Organisations such as hospitals have a huge carbon footprint and nurses and midwives can help to reduce this through a number of activities. Whether it’s undertaking recycling activities to limit waste, assisting with reducing energy consumption or simply conserving water, getting involved in small ‘green’ team with like-minded colleagues is the way ahead.

The NSWNMA is committed to promote this important issue and is a member of Global Green & Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) who are striving to help nursing staff and allied health in hospitals and other facilities with many different kinds of resources.

The recommendations out of the seminar were: continue to support NSWNMA members and branches with Environmental Health and Sustainable Healthcare education, and to consider undertaking two (2) Environmental Health Seminars for 2019 – one in the country (Wollongong or Newcastle) and one at the Association.

Click on the links below to listen to podcasts of the presentations given at the event:

• Jane Currie on ‘Mass Casualty Education’
• Megan Shaw talking about the sustainability journey of the Children’s Hospital, Randwick
• Victoria Cran, registered nurse from Concord Hospital, Sydney, spoke about the future of recycling in the operating setting
• Clinical Nurse Specialist, Duane Miller,  talks about forming a ‘green team’ at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne and the great results they’ve achieved
• Teresa Lewis, PhD Candidate University of Wollongong, on “Dispelling the enigma surrounding environmentally sustainable activities in nursing /midwifery practice”