Announcing the O-CAREER

Certificate Program

Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania developed OCAREER, a virtual certificate program designed to assist healthcare professionals in assessing, identifying, and addressing how climate change is impacting health. The new mnemonic, O-CAREER, stands for: occupation, conditions, activities, residence, environmental conditions, education, and resources.

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4 CME credits for physicians, 4 CEUs for pharmacists, 4 CEs for nurses and social workers.  OCAREER is self-paced with a three month window for completion.

We found that many practitioners are concerned about climate change as it relates to health, but they do not feel that they have the tools or the knowledge necessary to help inform the people they work with. While there are many trainings for health practitioners that share important information about climate and health, few provide skill building about communicating with people or colleagues, including the role of practitioner as advocate. O-CAREER is modeled after other mnemonics that healthcare practitioners often use such as PET-MAC to quickly assess chest pain. We created this new mnemonic to help practitioners ask the people they work with about the influences of climate change on their health.

REGISTRATION OPENING SOON!

Interested in O-CAREER? Please complete this form or email ocareer@psrpa.org.

Solutions for Pollution at Philadelphia City Hall

by Marie DeMarco, MPH

On January 20th Marie DeMarco, PSR PA’s Health Educator and Medical Advocacy Coordinator was asked to speak about her work surrounding health outcomes related to oil and gas drilling at Philadelphia’s City Hall with other environmental justice advocates. Speakers included council members, faith leaders and health advocates. The Solutions for Pollution Campaign calls on the Biden Administration to carry out responsibility for environmental laws by advancing 20 protections across federal agencies that could reduce climate pollution by 50% by 2030.

Continue reading on our blog. Watch the City Hall event here.

Reaction to EPA's Standards of Performance for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources and Emission

by Barbara W. Brandom, M.D.

I am commenting on the proposed revised rules on methane as a retired physician, retired pediatric anesthesiologist, grandparent and graduate of the Masters program at the School of Public Health in the University of Pittsburgh. I am strongly in favor of much stricter rules, so that methane leaks can be eliminated. When methane leaks from a well, storage tank, pipeline, pneumatic pump, compressor station or any other structure that is part of the transfer of natural gas to where it will be burned, explosion from high concentrations of methane is not the only health risk. Many toxic compounds travel with methane.

Continue reading on our blog.

When: February 22, 6:30 PM-8:00 PM

Where: Virtual

Join Dr. Michael Ketterer, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Northern Arizona University, for an insightful webinar that will review and discuss the results from a recent PSR PA study performed by Wayne State University (WSU), of the naturally occurring radioisotopes found in the environment near oil and gas extraction installations in Pennsylvania. 

The WSU study focused on naturally occurring radioisotopes such as 226 Ra, 228 Ra, 210 Po and 210 Pb, which are present in brines, salt deposits and geologic reservoirs that serve as oil/gas reservoirs. When oil and gas are extracted by “fracking” and related processes, these radioisotopes are liberated and can be dispersed into the surface environment, resulting in water, air and soil contamination.

Register here.

When: March 10, 10am-1pm

Where: Chatham University Eden Hall Campus, Gibsonia, PA

When: April 21, 10am-1pm

Where: RE Farm Café at Windswept, 1000 Fillmore Road, State College, PA 16803

Are you interested in decarbonizing buildings by converting your gas kitchen to induction cooking equipment? Join us for this in-person workshop!

We are inviting healthcare professionals to learn about DEP’s new Cooking in Healthy Electrified Commercial Kitchens (CHECK) rebate program so they can be spokespeople for building electrification.

Chef Chris Galarza of Forward Dining Solutions will provide in-person demonstrations of

various induction cooking equipment and explain how it works to reduce energy

costs and improve the health of building occupants. You’ll be able to experience firsthand

the excellent performance of induction cooking and learn helpful tips on how to use this

equipment at home.



Additional dates and locations to come.

Register here.

Past Events

Shifting Paradigms: A Grassroots Response to Industry and Climate Watch Now

Job Opportunity with PhillyThrive

Interested in working in environmental, racial, and economic justice? PhillyThrive is hiring a Resourcing Coordinator and a Policy Fellow. See the job descriptions for more information and to apply, see their website here.

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.

EPA Methane Standards Letter

WMGR123 NE011 Comment Extension Sign-On

Next Steps for Governer Shapiro

Tell the EPA to Refer TVA's Gas Plant Decision to CEQ