There has been an ongoing battle between the Trump
administration and California over vehicle emission standards. The article
below from yesterday is about a coalition of states, most namely California,
that are suing the Trump administration again to regain the authority to set
stricter vehicle emissions standards at the state level. California, plus 22
other states and a few major cities, are involved in a lawsuit to challenge the
Trump administration’s move in September to take away states’ rights to set
higher standards on emissions. Under the Clean Air Act, California has could
submit waivers to the EPA to continue to allow the state to set these stricter standards.
Without this ability, California does not have the power to ensure that the air
is at the highest quality for the health of its citizens, at least the best it can
be given the present conditions. With the large number of people residing in California,
I imagine we could eventually see detrimental health effects, such as higher
rates of asthma from this move if California does not win the lawsuit.
I must admit that I am not fully aware of my local
governmental representatives. I really only know those on the national level. There
is a website that I use, https://www.countable.us,
on which I can see who my representatives are on a federal level, and I get
notifications whenever they vote on a bill. It tells you how they voted and
some of the reasons for and against each bill or policy. I also found a
California government site that allows you to find your state representatives
by entering your address. http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov.
On the City of Oakland website, I can
see all of my local representatives, https://www.oaklandca.gov/officials.
I currently do not
track any particular health policies, except may vaccination laws that I track
on my own. I have not seen any major changes recently. I am a member of Sigma
Theta Tau, but I have not become very involved with the organization yet. This
may be a good platform to bring up some ideas regarding environmental health
issues.
As I work through the DNP Population Health program, my interest in public health policy has really motivated me to contribute more to the causes that affect my community. That means getting to know your executive leadership at the hospital, the community advocates for environmental causes, and local, state, and federal entities that can help or block progress. I've been tracking the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act where the EPA has just placed new restrictions on healthcare organizations to prevent dumping of hazardous drugs and waste down the drain or toilets. Wow! I had no idea this was happening. However, the EPA's efforts do not go far enough. Manufacturers of these hazardous drugs do not provide any education to the public on the safe handling of them and the majority of home administration of HDs get tossed in the household garbage. I recently wrote a policy brief to request that drug manufacturers include a safe-handling drug package insert in simple language and pictograms to instruct patients on what to do with these beyond-use medications. While it's been a challenge to find out who our representatives are in California, there is interest in narrowing the gap on hazardous drug waste dumping in the environment.
ReplyDeleteClean air is very important, especially with people with asthma, people with asthma, even going for a walk outside they have to take their inhalers with them. While working in the med-surge floor I noticed that we started admitting many patients with asthma and respiratory issues. Regulation should be enforced, we as professionals should look for ways to try to change the law by enforcing the making of new policies.
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