with Rose Gallagher Role: UK Professionals Lead Sustainability at the Royal College of Nursing. What was the initiative/action, and in what setting was the project implemented? The initiative, known as Glove Awareness Week, was developed to raise awareness of both the appropriate use of gloves and the risks associated with […]
Case Studies
14 posts
Kristy Wheeler, MSN, RN, CNOR Background and Initiative Overview: Kristy Wheeler, MSN, RN, CNOR, worked nearly 7 years to pass a law in Maryland regarding surgical smoke evacuation in procedural areas, House Bill 1087. HB 1087 passed in May 2026, making Maryland the 21st state to enact such legislation. HB […]
Date: June 12, 2026 | Nurse: Julie Jacobson Vann PhD, MS, RN Title & Position: Professor and Planetary Health Director, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Initiative Overview: North Carolina’s Toxic-Free Medical Devices Act (HB 592) proposed to ban DEHP from hospital intravenous (IV) bags by 2030 and tubing […]
Elizabeth Joseph, APRN, BC, MPH Title: Chair, Sustainability Climate Committee Organization: Jackson Health Systems Initiative Overview Elizabeth Joseph, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and Chair of the Sustainability Climate Committee at Jackson Health System, helped to lead a transformative initiative to address the overuse of regulated medical waste containers, commonly […]
Name of Interviewee: Ashley Politi, MSN, RN, CCRN Organization: El Camino Health, Mountain View and Los Gatos, California Interviewee Background Ashley Politi is a registered nurse with a Master of Science in Nursing and Critical Care Certification (CCRN), serving as a staff nurse in the critical care department at El […]
Interviewee: Jo Bjorgaard, DNP, RN, PHN, CSSBB Title: Senior Climate & Health Manager Organization: Climate Advocacy Lab Background and Project Overview As the Pediatric Quality Improvement Consultant and Sustainability Lead at a large Midwestern academic health system, Jo Bjorgaard recognized a critical gap in the organization’s environmental accountability: no formal […]
Name of Interviewee: Sarah E. Johnson Organization: Providence St. Patrick Hospital Initiative Overview Sarah E. Johnson led a comprehensive environmental stewardship and climate action initiative at Providence St. Patrick Hospital, a regional acute care facility with approximately 1,300 employees and 600 nurses. The project was a multi-faceted effort to integrate […]
Interviewee: Stephanie Santos, BSN, RN Organization: Miriam Hospital, Rhode Island Background Stephanie Santos, a dedicated BSN, RN at Miriam Hospital in Rhode Island, has spent nearly a decade championing environmental sustainability both within her healthcare institution and across her community. Her journey began with a simple observation: the staggering amount […]
Interviewee: Ann Mead, RN Role: Clinical Nurse, Perioperative Unit; Co-founder of Nurse Sustainability Subcouncil Turning Observation into Action Ann Mead’s sustainability journey began with a simple yet profound observation she had seen replicated in various units in different hospitals where she had worked. She noticed plastic wash basins, originally intended […]
Interviewee: Charlotte Wallace, MS, RN Former Role: Sustainability Coordinator at Anne Arundel Health System From Pediatric Nurse to Sustainability Trailblazer Charlotte Wallace’s sustainability journey began unexpectedly when, as a pediatric nurse, she penned a bold letter to her hospital’s president challenging the institution’s environmental footprint. Her simple yet powerful argument—”We […]