October Letter Test

The Pitt Social Medicine Fellows are excited to share this month’s events and advocacy opportunities in the Pittsburgh community!

In this Edition

Air Pollution is a Pittsburgh Problem: Why Environmental Stewardship Matters in Medicine

October Partners in Advocacy

Profiles in Advocacy: A Message from Women for a Healthy Environment

October Events

Air Pollution is a Pittsburgh Problem: Why Environmental Stewardship Matters in Medicine

-Marisa DelSignore-

One of the core tenets of medicine is “Do No Harm,” a principle that providers adhere to with methodological precision within the confines of a tightly controlled clinical environment. A growing body of information about the social determinants of health teaches us that our patients’ health outcomes are greatly affected by factors that a visit to the clinic cannot address: built and natural environments, socioeconomic and educational opportunities, and varied cultural and community contexts. With the mission of medicine comes a natural responsibility to advocate on behalf of our patients for improved health and safety measures outside of the hospital.

In Pittsburgh, the impetus for environmentally-focused advocacy and stewardship is cut out for healthcare workers, especially those who care for communities heavily affected by industrial air pollution. According to a 2021 report by the American Lung Association, Allegheny County was one of 13 counties nationwide to earn a failing score for long- and short-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground level ozone 1, 11. PM2.5 air pollutants come from sources such as chemical-processing industries, power plants, construction sites, and automobiles 2. They are composed of particles small enough to penetrate the thoracic region of the respiratory system and when inhaled can increase the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity, such as aggravation of asthma, irregular heartbeat, and respiratory symptoms, and, consequently, can lead to an increase in hospital admissions 3, 4, 5, 6. Long-term exposure can increase the risk of cardiopulmonary mortality, lung cancer, and chronic inflammatory airway diseases 3, 4, 5, 6. Numerous studies have identified populations vulnerable to this crisis: in Pittsburgh, children living in close proximity to the polluting source of PM2.5 have a higher odds of developing asthma by 58% compared to children living in regions with lower exposure 7. Additional research conducted in Pittsburgh has found that disparities in air pollution exposure level vary with income, race, and historical redlining across neighborhoods in Allegheny County, with low-income and non-white communities experiencing higher degrees of pollutant exposure, greater risk of mortality due to coronary heart disease, and greater risk of uncontrolled and/or severe asthma compared to other groups 8, 9. Given the prominence of steel production in Pittsburgh’s history and the industry’s residual environmental toll, and recent reports of race- and gender-based inequalities in health outcomes, education, and economic opportunities in Pittsburgh 10, growing evidence of differential environmental impacts based on race and socioeconomic status underscores the importance of intersectionality as a focus point of health justice.

While medical providers may recognize the physiologic toll of toxic environmental exposures in the health of their patients, there is much that needs to be done to address this complex crisis at the societal level. The American Lung Association has highlighted actions that healthcare professionals can take to advocate on behalf of local air quality issues 11:

Listen to patient narratives about health problems associated with environmental burdens, and amplify their voices to the public, local leaders, and policymakers.
Support research into climate impacts and development of technologies that improve monitoring, reporting, and gathering data from pollution events.
Advocate for stricter control over emissions and enforcement of regulations at the local, state, and federal levels.

Strides towards environmental justice have been made by organizations within and outside of UPMC, and we can all do our part to hold our own professional institutions accountable to sustainable, environmentally-conscious practices. As patient advocates and health experts, and with myriad opportunities to plug into the network of environmental stewardship efforts, the onus is on medical providers at UPMC to engage in climate action.

U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works in Clairton, Pennsylvania - Learn more!

Partners in Advocacy

PITT PARTNERS

Pitt Student for One Health

Pitt Students for One Health is a multidisciplinary organization that seeks to further the One Health initiative of achieving optimal health by recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. We seek to promote health in the Pittsburgh community through advocacy, education, and volunteering efforts centered around these principles. We also host lunch talks throughout the year in order to increase students' awareness of the importance of environmental health. Medical students: sign up for the AmpUp mailing list

Pitt Med Global Health Interest Group

Our group aims to raise knowledge about global public health as well as the role of medical professionals in facing global health challenges. We host lunch talks, social events, and help organize the Intro to Global Health and Surgery PEC in the spring semester.

Medical students: sign up for the AmpUp mailing list

Pitt EcoReps

Pitt EcoReps are students committed to making life in residence halls more sustainable. They work with members of the Pitt community to integrate sustainability into the culture of our residence halls by reducing energy and water use, increasing recycling and composting, and advancing other sustainability initiatives.

Click here to learn more!

Pitt Green Fund

Pitt Green Fund is a student-run Green Fund Advisory Board (aka Pitt Green Fund) finances and supports student-initiated projects and programs that help make Pitt operations more environmentally sustainable, socially equitable, and energy efficient.

Click here to learn more!

University of Thriftsburgh

Pitt’s student-run on-campus thrift store, the University of Thriftsburgh is a working model of sustainability that encourages students to think about how to reuse and recycle in a whole new light! Buying secondhand clothing reduces textile waste, cuts carbon, and promotes a culture of reuse. Thriftsburgh has regular hours in the O’Hara Student Center, online sales, and holds an annual Fall Reuse Rummage Sale for clothing and household goods as students return to campus.

Click here to learn more!

Free The Planet

Free the Planet (FTP) is a student environmental organization at the University of Pittsburgh working on campus and in the community to foster awareness about important environmental and intersectional issues while taking action to resolve them. Free the Planet’s primary goal is to creatively instill a passion for sustainable, environmentally friendly, and healthy living in Pitt’s student body and beyond. Free the Planet regularly organizes educational events, community service, and various action-based campaigns to accomplish this goal.

Click here to learn more!

Fossil Free Pitt Coalition

Fossil Free Pitt Coalition (FFPC) is a coalition of students, staff, faculty, community members, and over 50 SORC affiliated clubs that support fossil fuel divestment and more transparency in regards to financial decisions at the University of Pittsburgh. FFPC uses escalation and direct action to place the pressure on Pitt’s Board of Trustees to vote to divest the school’s endowment from fossil fuels and to reinvest our endowment into the frontline and minority communities in the Greater Pittsburgh Region. Click here to learn more!

Grow Pittsburgh Amity Harvest Community Garden - Learn more!

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Women for Healthy Environment

WHE educates individuals about environmental risks to human health, provides action steps communities can take to mitigate those risks, and advocates for solutions to better protect the region. Their work ranges from direct policy and legal action like their Pittsburgh Lead Safety Law to community engagement at local schools and learning centers. They bring environmental health/climate change initiatives to the doors of residents with their Healthy Homes kits and Asthma program and facilitate access to county resources for legal assistance, home inspections and health advocacy.

UrbanKind

The UrbanKind Institute defines themselves as a Pittsburgh-based think-and-do tank that works across sectors (education, environment, housing, etc.) to improve quality of life for urban families. They center black voices in the initiatives they lead and have facilitated leadership development sessions as well as policy engagement among under-resourced communities. UrbanKind is also the home of the Black Environmental Collective and Trust Trees initiatives.

Please review their partnership expectations

if you’re interested in getting involved!

Breathe Project

The Breathe Collaborative is a coalition of citizens (encompassing the East End Neighbors group), environmental advocates, public health professionals and academics working to improve air quality, eliminate climate pollution and make our region a healthy and prosperous place to live. Multiple campaigns range from community efforts to address railroad impacts to regional and national organizations against industrial pollution. They also offer online tools for residents to monitor their air quality and a database of relevant articles.

Join their email list for event updates/advocacy opportunities: https://breatheproject.org/sign-up/

PennFuture

A statewide environmental advocacy organization, Penn Future works to protect public health, restore and protect natural resources, and promote a clean energy future. They litigate cases at the local, state, and federal level, advance legislative action, provide public education and assist citizens in public advocacy (their ACE program organizes concerned residents to speak on issues to local legislators). Check their Action Alerts to learn about upcoming climate decisions or request legal assistance for a specific issue.

Grow Pittsburgh

Grow Pittsburgh develops and supports food-growing initiatives and programs across the region to improve our social, economic, environmental, health, and educational realities. They are a major advocate for urban green space, reteaching our relationships with our gardens and solutions to environmental pollution in Pittsburgh from the community level up. Check them out if you are interested in connecting with community gardeners across the city!

Clean Energy Justice Convergence

Convened during the 13th Clean Energy Ministerial in Pittsburgh (September 2022), this 3-day action brought together over 46 local “stakeholders”. Community voices present included climate activists of the Lummi and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, SWPA Grassroots Town Halls, 350 Pittsburgh, Group Against Smog & Pollution, Tree Pittsburgh and Uptown Partners. One partner on this list is Putting Down Roots whose founder keeps a blog about local climate events and advocacy updates.

Profiles in Advocacy

A Message from Hanna Beightley

Healthy Homes Program Manager at Women for a Healthy Environment

Women for a Healthy Environment is a nonprofit organization that addresses environmental exposures that impact public health. Through community programming, technical assistance, and advocacy, we focus on creating healthy homes, schools, early learning centers, and communities across the southwestern PA region and the state of PA.

OUR MISSION

To educate and empower community members to act as ambassadors about environmental risks so they can make healthy choices for themselves and their families, and advocate for change for a better tomorrow.

OUR PROGRAMS

HEALTHY HOMES

Delivers community-based presentations and workshops that help create a healthy home environment, conducts healthy home checkups to identify environmental hazards in the home and connect families to additional support.

HEALTHY SCHOOLS PA

Assesses environmental risk factors in schools and keeps children's environment free from toxins and helps children thrive and learn. Some of these risk factors include cleaning supplies, mold, building renovations, bus idling, maintenance equipment, pesticides or radon.

HEALTHY CENTERS

Helps establish early learning centers that are not only clean and safe, but hazard free; we ensure this through providing guidance and funding on lead and radon testing, professional development opportunities, and certifications that will improve the health of children & staff.

HEALTH POLICY

Examines key environmental health issues and presents opportunities for local, state, and federal policy change that can create healthier homes, schools, and early learning centers.

To learn more and get involved visit WomenForAHealthyEnvironment.org !

Get Involved: October Events!

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