PSR PA Board Welcomes New Leadership and New Members
PSR PA is pleased to announce the appointment of new board members and a transition in leadership. Our Board of Directors is comprised of a dedicated team of health professionals and community leaders committed to improving the health of all Pennsylvania residents. We are excited to channel the expertise of our new members and leadership into furthering our mission.
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Dr. Ned Ketyer, our new president of the board, is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-area pediatrician. Dr. Ketyer enjoyed 26 years in private practice before retiring from patient care in 2017, although he continues to write a daily blog for his pediatric practice called The PediaBlog (www.thepediablog.com) - you can read his most recent article on climate change here. He remains a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change. Dr. Ketyer is a consultant for the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project bringing attention to the health impacts of fracking in the Marcellus Shale gas patch. Ned was instrumental in forming what is now PSR PA, a statewide organization.
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Dr. Steph Lee, MD, MPH, FAAP is an outpatient pediatrician and preventive medicine specialist at Penn State Health St Joseph, in Reading. She became interested in climate action after seeing environmental impacts on children's health, and uses traditional and social media as avenues for health communication and advocacy.
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Dr. Tess Wiskel, MD is an attending emergency physician currently working at Crozer Keystone Healthcare System in Delaware County, PA. She is interested in education and advocacy to mitigate the effects of climate change on health.
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Katherine Crowe, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in Philadelphia who specializes in pediatric mental health and development, particularly anxiety and mood disorders. Katherine is interested in the intersection of climate change and mental health and is passionate about strengthening community awareness, resiliency, and resources to mitigate and adapt to the impact of a changing climate on human health.
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Women Share Views on Climate Change for Drexel's Academy of Natural Sciences
Inspired by the book All We Can Save, a celebration of the feminist climate renaissance, 15 local women, including PSR PA Executive Director, Tonyehn Verkitus, were asked to give a 150 word response to the question: “If we are at a crossroads of peril and promise, where do you see possibility alive and growing?” The responses were shared in a two part series on their blog.
Tonyehn shared the following thoughts:
"I have often thought: if you want to solve a problem put a handful of women in a room and give them a deadline. Women tend to think about the collective, not just the individual, and are more apt to make decisions that support and invigorate society as a whole — think pay equality, fair benefits and ethical responsibility.
When it comes to climate change, we are at a point of crisis where the only way forward is change and women can lead the way as powerful organizers. The environmental movement was started by women. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring inspired us to care about the Earth, and today women like Suzanne Simard, Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, are inspiring us to look even further. Addressing climate change requires the work of visionaries with the depth of character to make the most reticent individuals answer the call."
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Climate and Health
by Alan S. Peterson, MD
The World Health Organization states that climate change is “the greatest health challenge of the 21st century.” The pope has called climate change the most important moral issue of our time. I am 75 years of age this year and I feel the most important thing I can do with the rest of my life is to teach about climate change and health.
Climate change causes a broad range of adverse health effects, and it particularly amplifies existing health threats among the economically disadvantaged, urban dwellers, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and the chronically ill.
Levels of carbon dioxide are rising at the fastest rate in 66 million years, mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels, which contribute to four of the five top causes of mortality in the United States – heart disease, cancer, stroke, and COPD.
Health Impacts of Climate Change
Climate change has adverse effects on health that are both specific and general. Specifically, increased ozone and particulate air pollution are linked to asthma attacks, cardiovascular disease, and premature death.
Generally, extreme weather destabilizes communities. Warmer oceans produce more water vapor, and warmer air holds more moisture. As more frequent and more sustained storms pass over communities, particularly poorer ones, they increase economic stress and poverty, reduce access to essential health care, and increase risk for mental health concerns such as post traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, aggressive behavior, and relational and social unrest.
While some areas are too wet, others are too dry. The wildfires in Canada and the Western United States are creating dangerous smoke that spreads for thousands of miles, even reaching Lancaster.
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Whisper Valley: A Zero Energy Capable Community |
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When: November 9th at 6 PM EST
Whisper Valley is focused on a profound, forward-thinking vision for the future. Innovative planning by a progressive development team, city planners, engineers and design specialists has created a blueprint for a truly advanced community. One that’s committed to making our world a better place to live.
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Join us each month as we explore topics related to environmental health, violence prevention, and climate solutions, with a special focus on PA. |
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PAST EVENTS:
Fractured: The body burden of living near fracking
Clean Air and Asthma
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Cradle to Grave:
The Reverberating Health Hazards of Oil and Gas Industry
PSR PA is excited to share a virtual, half-day conference on a very important issue. This event will be held on December 10, 2021 from 12:00 - 4:30 p.m. Learn more about this exciting event here.
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Trauma-Informed Care
Keystone Edition Health on WVIA
When: The fourth Monday of the month at 7 PM
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Healthcare is constantly changing as technology finds new and better ways to help people live longer, healthier lives. Host Tonyehn Verkitus will address the issues that are important to the people in our community, including the ongoing pandemic, concerns about vaccines, food deserts, childhood trauma and child abuse, mental health, environmental issues, and the rising cost of staying healthy with leaders and experts who are positively moving the needle in our region.
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The Straight Scoop on Shale
A project of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund
When: November 16th and 17th
The ninth annual Shale & Public Health Conference will be held as an online conference over two days. The conference aims to educate about the Extraction of Natural Gas from Marcellus Shale, its impact on our water and communities and how government is involved through permitting, taxation and regulation.
PSR PA Board President Edward C. Ketyer, MD, FAAP will take part in Emerging and Urgent session on November 17th with his discussion PFAS “Forever Chemicals” and Fracking. Dr. Ketyer’s work connects the rapid expansion of shale gas extraction (fracking) and petrochemical development (plastics) in the Ohio River Valley with the local and regional health impacts currently experienced by residents, and the global ecologic and public health catastrophes resulting from plastic pollution and climate change that threaten the health and well-being of all passengers on this shining ball of blue.
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PSR PA supports a number of actions throughout the year. Below are a few of the recent letters we've signed on to. Please click the titles to see the full letter.
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Thriving PA
Building a Statewide Platform for Climate Justice
Please share your feedback on the policy pillars if you have not already.
PSR PA is part of the Thriving PA Working Group which works to advance a Divest/Invest Strategy to demand that our local communities and our Commonwealth divest from extractive industries, economies, and state violence and invest in making our communities healthy, whole, and just.
Here you can view the grid of our pillars and collective work.
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Have questions or suggestions for PSR PA? Email us at info@psrpa.org. |
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