Zoinks, there were a lot of comments about my comments post the other day. I tend to comment on "less popular" blogs, if that makes any sense {and no, that does not mean *your* blog is unpopular, my dear friends} - I mean I tend not to comment on blogs that receive dozens and dozens of comments. Dunno why. Also, sometimes I do not comment on blogs where the person responds regularly to my comment(s). Why? I feel like I'm "bothering" them, when sometimes their bloggy spirit has just moved me and I want to let them know. To make a long story short (too late!), I think the one reason I really appreciate comments is because it alerts me to more bloggy friends and the fabulous work they are doing, commented upon or not.
Due to the nature of my *real* job, I frequently access the website KidsHealth.org. I found interesting their list of the 10 Kids' Health Issues to Watch in 2008. Several of the issues to watch include those that we on the green parenting blogs have been chatting about for months if not years:
Keeping Child's Play Safe
A wave of toy recalls put new questions about toy safety — and the dangers of lead exposure — in the spotlight.
Food Allergies: Outlawing PB&J
As food allergies become more prevalent and more persistent among kids, the medical community is trying to find out why — and how to deal with the trend.
Battling the Superbug
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) made frequent headlines as the so-called "superbug" and put the spotlight on the growing threat posed by drug-resistant bacteria.
Rethinking a Pill for Every Ill
New questions about the safety and effectiveness of cough and cold medicines marketed to kids put the spotlight on the fact that many of the medications marketed for kids have not been tested in children.
And while I haven't spent any time on this particular issue, oh, my breaking heart:
Lost Childhoods
For most kids, childhood is a time of playing, learning, and making friends. But in more than 20 countries, thousands of kids serve as soldiers on the front lines of brutal conflicts.
My children are so very lucky.
Showing posts with label health care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health care. Show all posts
Monday, January 21, 2008
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Green Chit Chat
Just a few updates from hither and yon.
Our region has just recently emerged from a series of MRSA outbreaks. Here's an interesting piece from Salon on MRSA and the foods we "produce" and eat called "Is the way we raise our food giving us MRSA?"
MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Some opportunities for green educational grants from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA estimates that 70 awards will be given and will be for approximately $20,000 a piece "...to support environmental education projects that promote environmental stewardship and help develop aware and responsible students, teachers, and citizens. This grant program provides financial support to seed innovative projects that design, demonstrate, or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques ..." Deadline is December 20th.
And...we are experiencing technical difficulties with the home computer...please stay tuned. We appreciate your patience and hope to return to our regularly scheduled blog posts as soon as possible.
Our region has just recently emerged from a series of MRSA outbreaks. Here's an interesting piece from Salon on MRSA and the foods we "produce" and eat called "Is the way we raise our food giving us MRSA?"
MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Some opportunities for green educational grants from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA estimates that 70 awards will be given and will be for approximately $20,000 a piece "...to support environmental education projects that promote environmental stewardship and help develop aware and responsible students, teachers, and citizens. This grant program provides financial support to seed innovative projects that design, demonstrate, or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques ..." Deadline is December 20th.
And...we are experiencing technical difficulties with the home computer...please stay tuned. We appreciate your patience and hope to return to our regularly scheduled blog posts as soon as possible.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Green Nursing
Birds do it, bees do it, even nurses do it! Go green that is!
In the April 2007 issue of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) journal there is an article entitled, "Reduce - Recycle - Reuse: Guidelines for Promoting Perioperative Waste Management". The perioperative period refers to any period surrounding a surgical procedure including the pre-operative and post-operative period.
This article, written by Gary Laustsen, APRN, states: "The perioperative environment generates large amounts of waste, which negatively affects local and global ecosystems...To manage this waste, health care facility leaders must focus on identifying correctable issues, work with relevant stakeholders to promote solutions, and adopt systematic procedural changes."
He reminds us that, "Large health care facilities, such as hospitals, historically used incinerators to dispose of medical waste" and cites such pollutants as dioxin and mercury as some of the chemicals released into the air due to such methods of disposal. He cites two organizations that are looking for ways "to reduce the negative effect of health care practices on the environment": Health Care Without Harm and Hospitals for a Healthy Environment.
Due to the nature of health care, many products are single-use only to protect patients from cross contamination. However, some correctable areas can apply to the "business" end of nursing: photocopying and printing and the packaging used for medical supplies. Hospitals never close (theoretically) and so they are big consumers of energy as well.
Laustsen goes on to present a case vignette where a "red bag" (a bag used for hazardous medical waste - similar to the "sharps" container you see in your healthcare providers office, but on a larger scale) is analyzed for the inclusion of non-biohazardous waste. He states, "The results of this investigation demonstrated that there was significant inappropriate disposal of OR wastes into the biohazardous waste receptacle."
And...like me... he recognizes that greening is a "small steps" process and goes on to cite specific suggestion for recycling, reducing and reusing in the perioperative setting.
Thank you, Gary Laustsen, for an intriguing and informative article on a topic that many non-health care professionals knew nothing about - including me! Great job!
Tomorrow - my review on Barbara Kingsolver's fabulous new book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle".
In the April 2007 issue of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) journal there is an article entitled, "Reduce - Recycle - Reuse: Guidelines for Promoting Perioperative Waste Management". The perioperative period refers to any period surrounding a surgical procedure including the pre-operative and post-operative period.
This article, written by Gary Laustsen, APRN, states: "The perioperative environment generates large amounts of waste, which negatively affects local and global ecosystems...To manage this waste, health care facility leaders must focus on identifying correctable issues, work with relevant stakeholders to promote solutions, and adopt systematic procedural changes."
He reminds us that, "Large health care facilities, such as hospitals, historically used incinerators to dispose of medical waste" and cites such pollutants as dioxin and mercury as some of the chemicals released into the air due to such methods of disposal. He cites two organizations that are looking for ways "to reduce the negative effect of health care practices on the environment": Health Care Without Harm and Hospitals for a Healthy Environment.
Due to the nature of health care, many products are single-use only to protect patients from cross contamination. However, some correctable areas can apply to the "business" end of nursing: photocopying and printing and the packaging used for medical supplies. Hospitals never close (theoretically) and so they are big consumers of energy as well.
Laustsen goes on to present a case vignette where a "red bag" (a bag used for hazardous medical waste - similar to the "sharps" container you see in your healthcare providers office, but on a larger scale) is analyzed for the inclusion of non-biohazardous waste. He states, "The results of this investigation demonstrated that there was significant inappropriate disposal of OR wastes into the biohazardous waste receptacle."
And...like me... he recognizes that greening is a "small steps" process and goes on to cite specific suggestion for recycling, reducing and reusing in the perioperative setting.
Thank you, Gary Laustsen, for an intriguing and informative article on a topic that many non-health care professionals knew nothing about - including me! Great job!
Tomorrow - my review on Barbara Kingsolver's fabulous new book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle".
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