Idaho hospital systems to host climate and health symposium Friday

Two Idaho hospital systems are hosting a one-day event to highlight climate change’s impact on health — and solutions.

Saint Alphonsus and St. Luke’s Health System teamed up to host the first Treasure Valley Climate & Health Symposium on Friday, May 16, in Boise. 

The event will feature talks from climate leaders — local, regional and national — about how climate change affects mental health, infections, wildfires and other health issues.

“We recognize that health is shaped by far more than just clinical care — it’s influenced by the environments where people live, work and heal,” Dr. Ethan Sims, an emergency medicine physician and St. Luke’s medical director of environmental sustainability, said in a written statement. “Sustainability in health care strives to maximize efficiency, reduce the costs of operation both in dollars and impact on the planet, without compromising the high standards we hold ourselves to for quality patient care.”

Sims organized the event with Dr. Wesley Pidcock, Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center’s intensive care unit medical director. Both doctors are involved with Idaho Clinicians for Climate and Health, an organization that aims to reduce climate change’s impact on human health.

“Being able to come together as health systems around a shared mission to educate and foster dialogue around sustainable practices in healthcare is fulfilling and exciting work, and we are driven by its ability to protect and enhance the long-term health of our community,” Pidcock said in a written statement.

When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, May 16

Where: Virtual, or in-person at the Saint Alphonsus McCleary Auditorium, located at 1055 N. Curtis Road in Boise

Cost: $20 usually. Or $75 for people seeking continuing medical education credit. To get the $20 reduced registration cost, use discount code TV55, which prevents you from obtaining education credit. 

Registration: Register online at Saint Alphonsus’s website.