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A growing department in the union, IAM Healthcare is organizing clinicians, technicians and caregivers in a variety of roles. Recently, pharmacy workers at providers such as CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid, have joined IAM Healthcare as the Pharmacy Guild.297 Healthcare workers are uniquely impacted by climate change as they see the human health impacts of the crisis on a daily basis–especially when disaster strikes.
Charged with caring for the sick and vulnerable, healthcare workers are on the frontlines of the climate crisis every day. Climate change is driving an increase in heat related illnesses, including heart attacks. Air pollution increases the rate of asthma, and rising insect populations are increasing vector borne diseases, such as Lyme disease.298 Healthcare workers themselves experience the health impacts of climate change. Workers suffering from asthma or anxiety caused by weather disasters then go into healthcare settings to treat individuals that are stressed by those same factors. Extreme heat and extreme weather can exacerbate mental health issues, overburden healthcare facilities, and put a strain on staff. Healthcare professionals already face high rates of workplace violence, a disturbing reality that could grow more hazardous as extreme weather taxes facilities.299
In campaigns, at the bargaining table, and in federal policy, IAM Healthcare is fighting for safe staffing levels. Healthcare workers need acuity based staffing standards that provide higher levels of staffing for more severely ill patients. “Increasing demand or need for staff is often not met by the corporations who run these hospitals and nursing homes,” reports IAM Healthcare Director Shane Brinton.300 Healthcare facilities need to conduct 360 Degree Safety reviews to ensure that workers have a safe working environment. Climate change, and its associated ills, is deepening the need for safe staffing in care facilities and pharmacies.
But the healthcare industry also contributes emissions that worsen climate-related hazards. In the United States, the healthcare sector is responsible for around 10% of the nation's emissions.301 Healthcare systems are beginning to implement climate action plans that focus on improving energy efficiency, transitioning to renewable energy sources, and transitioning to
296 Bryant, “Maine Can Help Our Nation Regain Shipbuilding Dominance.”
297 Constantino, Annika Kim, “Two CVS Retail Stores in Rhode Island Join New National Pharmacy Union.”
300 Brinton.
301 Ways & Means Committee, “Health Care and the Climate Crisis.”
lower carbon alternatives for anesthetic gas, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.302 While these changes are important, hospitals are a critical resource in communities, and climate resilient communities need functional health facilities. Safe staffing and protections for workers are essential to making sure that health settings are resilient and ready for extreme weather events.
302 Sampath, MPH et al., “Reducing Healthcare Carbon Emissions: A Primer on Measures and Actions to Mitigate Climate Change.”