March 4, 2022

Doctors Making a Difference: Mary Beth Bennett, MD

Mary Beth Bennett, MD, a first-year pediatric resident in Seattle, says it was opposite extremes of weathera widely reported severe winter storm that left her family and thousands of others without power and enduring freezing temperatures for days in Texas, followed by last summer's record-setting heat wave after relocating to Seattlethat inspired her to sound the alarm on the connection between climate change and public health. As a member of the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility's Climate and Health Task Force, Dr. Bennett is helping to advocate for policies such as building electrification and more funding for climate change mitigation and public transportation. Here, she talks with WSMA Reports about these efforts and how physicians can help patients connect the dots between climate change and their personal health.

WSMA Reports: Last summer you wrote a guest column in the Seattle publication The Stranger urging everyone to treat climate change as a public health emergency. You advocate for transitioning away from the use of natural gas for cooking and heating in homes; why is that such an important component of how climate change and public health intersect?

Dr. Bennett: Kids who grow up in homes with gas stoves are more likely to develop asthma and experience wheezing related to asthma, which can mean a trip to the emergency room or even worse. And we see from new data that our gas-powered homes and buildings are a major source of air pollution in cities. I can't think of a clearer example of a policy win-win than this: Reduced pollution from gas-powered appliances will lead to healthier cities and families, while also addressing global warming through reduced fracking.

The extreme heat we saw last summer in the Pacific Northwest is a tangible effect of climate change. What are some other less-obvious public health effects that physicians should be aware of?

Vector-borne illnesses are increasing, so diseases that were previously seen almost exclusively in tropical climates are now hitting communities thousands of miles away. We're also seeing increased rates of depression caused by fears about the climate. Related to this is the fact that the U.S. birth rate has declined six years in a row: A quarter of childless adults cite worries about the climate as a key factor in their decision not to have children (Morning Consult, 2020).

What is the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility's Climate and Health Task Force working on in terms of policy or public health messaging?

WPSR's Climate and Health Task Force is currently advocating for policies related to building electrification, increased investment in public transportation, enhanced funding for climate change mitigation, and adaptation efforts in low-income communities. We approach this advocacy with a specific focus on health equity, since we know the people most likely to suffer the harmful effects of climate change include historically marginalized groups.

How can physicians talk with their patients about climate change and how it relates to their personal/family health?

It's a great question because doctors already have too much to cover in too little time during primary care visits. Step one is for doctors to educate themselves better on how climate issues affect healththere's so much data out there that experienced and newer doctors didn't learn in medical school.

Step two is to look for opportunities to link climate issues to health situations that patients are currently facing. For example, when I'm talking with a family whose child has asthma, I'm careful to mention all the potential irritants and exposures that could trigger wheezing, including smoke from cigarettes and fumes from a cooking with a gas stove.

Outside of patient visits, I think we should use our platform as medical professionals to advocate for better climate policies to improve health for entire communities. Patients rely on us to tell them how to be healthier and we're not doing our jobs if we're unaware of how the climate affects health.

Are there ways health care organizations and practices can support climate change goals?

Yes, we should be leaders in reducing energy waste, in incentivizing employees to use public transit, and in composting and recycling. It's important for every organization with a public health mission to be adopting practices that reduce emissions. "Do no harm" is an ethos that we should apply not only to patients but to the larger ecosystem in which our health care organizations exist.

This article was featured in the March/April 2022 issue of WSMA Reports, WSMA's print newsletter.