In January 2023, the American Academy of Nursing (Academy) hosted a policy dialogue on “Nursing Leadership in Decarbonizing the Health Sector.” The Environmental & Public Health Expert Panel convened this dialogue to discuss the federal policy agenda associated with addressing the global crisis of climate change. The US Health Sector, as a community, has a responsibility to advocate for and invoke change at a global scale while addressing social inequities in developing solutions. This policy dialogue provided participants the opportunity to gain insights from leading experts in environmental justice, public health policy, climate resiliency, decarbonization, and grassroots initiatives in sustainable development. Participants were able to explore the critical role of the nursing profession’s engagement in cultivating policy solutions for environmental issues as well as the implications of those policies. 

• Nurse Engagement’s Value for Innovative Advancement of Decarbonization
  By engaging in decarbonization initiatives within health care as leaders, nurses can lay the foundation for the necessary collaboration needed to create lasting change.
• Investment in Supporting Health Care Sector Decarbonization Efforts 
  Federal investment must be directed toward researching, analyzing, as well as crafting policies and innovative systems that support health care providers in addressing the urgent need for action against the climate crisis.
• The Pandemic Drew Attention to Sustainable Practices
  Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an expansion of single-use products. With the degrowth of sustainability nationally, support is needed to rebuild individual and collective consciousness for implementing best practices against climate change.
• Resiliency in Creating System Changes for Climate Action
  The profession must remain diligent in the development and innovation of strong, sustained shifts within the health care sector to ensure a planet that supports life and health. 
• Collaborative Action must be Made to Mitigate Health Care Sector Carbon Emissions
  Combating climate change is an issue of environmental and public health. Thus, it is a crisis that will take a cooperative effort to mold social advancement that prioritizes collective humanity. 
• Expansion of Accessible Educational Resources
  Climate change is a complex topic and it requires tools and resources to make communication and information easily accessible to nurses. Expanding nurses' tools to educate, address, and discuss decarbonization through resources allows them to inform and champion the current health consequences of climate change.
  

Guest Panelists

• Donald Berwick, MD, MPP, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
• Elizabeth Schenk, PhD, RN, FAAN, Executive Director of Environmental Stewardship, Providence
• Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN, Executive Director, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments 
• Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, President and Chief Executive Officer, National League for Nursing
  

Planning Committee

• Teddie M. Potter, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP, Clinical Professor, Coordinator of the DNP in Health Innovation and Leadership, Director of Planetary Health, University of Minnesota
• Barbara Polivka, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor and Associate Dean of Research, University of Kansas School of Nursing
• Catherine Dodd, PhD, RN, FAAN, Consultant, Enviro Health, Health Policy, Social Security Medicare, Healing Circles
• Emma Kurnat-Thoma, PhD, MS, RN, FAAN, CEO and Founder, Precision Policy Solutions, LLC
  
• Elizabeth Schenk, PhD, RN, FAAN, AVP, Environmental Stewardship at Providence
• Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN, Executive Director, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
• Lisa A. Campbell, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, FAAN, Founder and CEO, Population Health Consultants, LLC
• Susan Haynes Little, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, CPH, CPM, FAAN, Chief Public Health Nurse, NC DHHS Division of Public Health
• Jessica Castner, PhD, RN-BC, FAEN, FAAN, Professor, Director of Nursing, University at Albany

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