Insight From a Local Nurse: Are Hospitals Really Environmentally Sustainable?

In the zoom recording provided below, I interviewed a nurse by the name of Arlene Blanco. She is currently a registered nurse at Tricare Prime Chesapeake Clinic in Chesapeake, Virginia. In order to obtain this occupation at this facility she needed to acquire her BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) degree and be a practicing nurse for at least 2 years. She also had to have some experience with hands on and acute care prior to applying to the Chesapeake clinic.

As I interviewed her, I asked a variety of questions regarding her journey to becoming a nurse and how she views her clinic through a sustainable lens. Mrs. Blanco vocalized her opinion on her clinic and said that it isn’t necessarily sustainable in the sense that she works in an environment that depends highly on single use, plastic materials. Although she believes there are ways that her clinic and many other healthcare facilities can reduce their level of waste, it isn’t a priority with the numerous other worries they have to take into account. In addition to this, becoming a more sustainable establishment requires a lot of money that many healthcare facilities don’t have the funds to allocate towards that area.

Something I’ve learned from this interview is that nurses (and other healthcare workers) are aware of the constant waste being reduced by hospitals and clinics locally and globally. Even though many believe it is a big problem, it’s hard to really do anything about it without having the proper funds and an adequate amount of support from staff. Due to this, people like Mrs. Blanco take it upon themselves to participate in certain sustainable acts to do their part. For example, using reusable Tupperware and water bottles. By participating in actions that encourage sustainability, it might start a chain reaction to have a larger impact.