PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

St. Luke’s will offer a new educational series addressing climate change and health through May 17.

The series will launch at noon Wednesday, March 29, with the first session addressing asthma.

While inhalers are often a necessary part of effectively managing a person’s asthma, the propellants used in some inhalers can produce substantial greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Speakers will address the climate impacts of inhalers used for asthma care and what other options may be available to manage asthma that come with a significantly lower carbon footprint.

Speakers include Dr. Gregg Furie, primary care physician and medical director of climate and sustainability at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Dr. Samantha Green, a family physician at Ontario Hospital Association and Faculty Lead in climate change and health at the University of Toronto's Department of Family and Community Medicine, and Dr. Kathleen Silveira, a pharmacist with St. Luke’s Health System.

Members of the public can join virtually by registering at https://cvent.me/wdNY0N.

Additional climate and health sessions are planned this spring:

Climate Change: Expansion of Infectious Borne Disease
Wednesday, April 12,  noon
Speakers: Dr. Sky Blue, Sawtooth Epidemiology & Infectious Diseases and Dr. Christine Hahn, Idaho medical director and state epidemiologist, Idaho Division of Public Health
Location: Online at https://cvent.me/wdNY0N.

Idaho Climate Economic Impacts
Wednesday, May 17, noon
Online at https://cvent.me/wdNY0N

All sessions are free. Session recordings will be available to any registrants and can also be viewed on the St. Luke’s YouTube page upon conclusion.

St. Luke’s and Idaho Clinicians for Climate Health launched their first lecture series addressing health and climate change in 2022. The spring 2023 series will explore additional connections between climate change and health. Additional lectures are being planned for fall 2023.