Climate change and Healthcare: The Hurricane Effect in Health with Nurse Jessica Sites and Raluca Ralu

We are realizing more and more how much climate change is affecting us in healthcare. Join the Gritty Nurses as they sit down with Nurse Jessica Sites of the Nurses Uncorked podcast and Planetary Health Lead Raluca Ralu, MSN, RN.

They discuss the delicate intersection between the environment and healthcare, through a professional and personal lens. Jessica literally survived a hurricane at home in Florida and Raluca specializes in climate change and education in her work!

Nurse Jessica Sites has over 2 decades worth of experience in the healthcare industry. Jessica worked as a labor and delivery registered nurse in the Tampa Bay area for over 21 years. 2 years ago she took a leap of faith and left bedside nursing in order to pursue a full-time comedic social media career. With nearly 1 million followers, Nurse Jessica has become a trending social media sensation and is proud of how far she has come in such a short amount of time.

She is also the co-host of a nursing podcast called Nurses Uncorked, where and her co-host advocate for nurses while still managing to insert humor in the mix. Jessica says if that she can give nurses even a little chuckle in the midst of their crazy chaotic work lives, then she feels she is accomplishing their goals.

Raluca Radu, a proud nurse with a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of British Columbia, specializes in Climate Change & Health Education. Since beginning her nursing career in 2014, she has gained experience in public and private healthcare, including surgical units, emergency departments, primary care, and occupational health and safety. Raluca has also taught as a clinical instructor and lecturer at UBC, contributing as a content expert on Climate Change & Health. Passionate about the environment, she remains active in groups like the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment (CANE) and other planetary health initiatives. After serving as a Climate and Health Educator with Doctors Without Borders, where she led capacity-building on mitigation health co-benefits, Raluca joined Providence Health Care as its first Planetary Health Lead. She believes we all have opportunities to act now to protect our shared future.

Thank you to our episode sponsor, TMU School of Medicine!

In summer 2025, Toronto Metropolitan University’s new School of Medicine will officially open its doors and begin shaping a new generation of doctors. Through a bold new approach to medical education, we will train future-ready doctors who are dedicated to delivering primary care to those who need it most. Our doctors will come from our communities and work with our communities to improve health and wellbeing. They will disrupt and drive change within the healthcare system for the benefit of our communities all across Canada. And they will advance our shared vision to build a healthier, more equitable world. The TMU School of Medicine will welcome its first cohort of residents in summer 2025 across 17 residency programs, including seven in family medicine and ten in generalist specialties. MD students will follow in September 2025, pending successful preliminary accreditation by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools. Visit torontomu.ca/school-of-medicine  to learn more.

Thank you to our episode sponsor, healthcareproviders.ca!

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