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Mercy College’s School of Health and Natural Sciences Nursing Program hosted an Earth Day 2021 Zoom session on April 21 entitled “Connecting Climate Change and Health: Nurses Leading the Way.” Led by Mercy College Associate Professor Dr. Adrienne Wald, the session was a collaborative effort of several New York area colleges who are members of the national Nurses Climate Challenge (NCC) program:  Mercy College, Columbia University and New York University, and with the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) and the Westchester Chapter of the National Alliance of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN). Attended by 180 nursing students and faculty from at least five tristate colleges, the session included presentations by Wald, Dr. Shanda Demorest of the NCC, Dr. Stephen A. Ferrara of Columbia University and Dr. Robin Tobin Klar of New York University. The session covered the urgent need posed today by climate change, how climate change is connected to health, the physical and mental health impacts seen in clinical practice and in the community; climate change vulnerable populations, and finally, how nurses and other health care professionals are leading and advocating for policies to address climate change health impacts while ensuring climate justice to reduce health inequities.

The Nurses Climate Challenge is a global initiative delivered by Health Care Without Harm in partnership with the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) that aims to mobilize nurses to educate health professionals about the health impacts of climate change. As one of the most trusted professions worldwide, nurses are ideal advocates for increased climate action in the healthcare sector. Mercy College, School of Health and Natural Sciences, is one of about 100 U.S. colleges participating as partners in the Nurses Climate Challenge. Dr. Wald currently serves as the co-chair of the ANHE Climate Change Committee.