BY: SR. MARY ELLEN LECIEJEWSKI, OP
Sr. Mary Ellen is coordinator, Ecology Program, Dominican Hospital, Santa
Cruz, CA.
Catholic Health Care Needs an Action Plan Based on Church Traditions
Hospitals and health care systems everywhere are growing in their understanding
of our interrelationship with Earth and the gift of healing it brings. All parts
of creation communicate some aspect of the Divine Mystery, and must be vital
and functioning for every other part to be vital and functioning. Making this
connection is key to our survival.
This may be a good time to ask ourselves some critical questions: How much
waste and greenhouse gas do our facilities emit? How do the products we purchase,
their side effects, and the methods we use to dispose of them affect our environment?
Are we promoting safe and cost-effective alternatives? What kind of buildings
are we constructing?
These are spiritual and strategic issues woven into the very fabric of how
we provide health care and how we do business. Our answers to these questions
reflect our values as much as do the compassion, skill, and respect we extend
to our patients and one another.
The environmental movement in health care is gaining momentum. No doubt about
it. It's taking hold in unimaginable and creative ways. Individuals, health
systems, group purchasing organizations, vendors, and environmental organizations
are collaborating to keep the momentum going, to create models of health care
that work, and to nurture the ecological sensitivities that are sorely needed
in the 21st century. Opportunities to engage one another in this daunting yet
breathtaking mission abound! Everyone's wisdom, voice, and commitment are needed
more than ever to make the leap into a sustainable future.
With this special section, Health Progress furthers the dialogue with
articles that describe the connections between human health and environmental
quality and focus on critical partnerships that promote our healing mission.