AAMC nurse discusses climate change with President Obama

Anne Arundel Medical Center Sustainability Coordinator Charlotte Wallace, RN, recently participated in a roundtable discussion with President Barack Obama on the public health impacts of climate change.

Charlotte, representing the group Alliance of Nurses for a Healthy Environment, spoke about a subject that has consumed her since her days as a bedside pediatric nurse: childhood asthma. Recent studies show children in Baltimore have an asthma rate that’s twice the national average. Climate change can lead to longer allergy seasons and more smog, further increasing the incidence of asthma.

By sharing her experiences with President Obama, the Surgeon General, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and other members of the roundtable, Charlotte hopes more people and businesses will think about how their daily activities affect air quality and the health of children.