+ Health Care, Healthy World

The following interview was conducted with Mary Donovan, a Charge Nurse in Women's Services at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver, Colorado. When Mary is not hard at work she can be found cooking up some tasty (organic) meals or enjoying the great outdoors in the lovely mountains of Colorado. Mary is proud to be an eco-sensitive citizen & drives a Jetta fueled by Biodiesel, particpates in a local organic produce co-op, & is always looking for new ways to lighten her eco footprint.

1) What is your educational background? How did you come to be doing what you do now?

My educational background is an associate degree and a bachelors degree in nursing, I became a nurse because as a child my sister and I were kind-of sickly kids and it was always the nurses that made me feel better. I admired nurses for their caring and compassion.

2) What are your additional interests?
My additional interests include: dogs, camping, hiking, skiing, running, cooking, and anything outdoor.

3) Tell me more about what a typical workday would entail for you?
A typical workday is never "typical" at a hospital but the tasks always remain the same. We usually receive report on our patients the start of every shift and then within the next few hours of the shift we go room to room introducing ourselves and checking on the status of
your patients. But more often than not a day starts with a person needing something right away like pain medication or help to the bathroom or a stat blood draw. But once the "task" items are out of the way you can focus on other needs of the patients like psychosocial issues, education, etc. But, like I mentioned earlier no day is the same and it is because every patient and patient need are completely different.

4) Which products do you use on a daily basis that make your job easier? Which do you have to use but do not find user friendly?
The products that make our job easier are things like pre-filled syringes, automatic vital sign machines, things that require little nursing time and therefore allow us to spend more time with patients. The non user friendly items are without a doubt or computer charting systems/charting. The health care system is in dire need for a charting program that is user friendly and allows more time to be spent with patients. Charting and computer time sucks sooooo much time away from the patients yet it has to be done because of the litigious side of our society.

5) Where do you look for inspiration? Are there any organizations, people, books or websites that you find especially inspiring?
Pertaining to work, I look for inspiration from my patients, my
co-workers, my husband, my friends, my family. Outside of work I am
look to eco-groovy, green companies-the National Green Pages, organic
food and clothing stores, anything that is green. I also find
inspiration in music, in particular Michael Franti and Spearhead.

6) Which hospitals you have worked at have a program
in place for recycling medical waste?

I don't know of any hospital that recycles medical waste. I know
some hospitals recently started recycling paper and that is huge for a
hospital. In general hospitals are extremely eco-toxic and not green
at all!


7) What types of cleaners and disinfectants are you
using at home? Which are used at the hospital?

I use only green products at home, non-polluting, biodegradable soap,
laundry soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc, etc. Hospitals use the
opposite-harsh chemicals, bleach for the sheets and linens, hand
sanitizer that is filled with pesticides, disposable this and that,
toxic floor cleaners, etc. It is NOT at ALL a green or non-toxic
environment. It scares me sometimes to think of what I am exposed to.
More importantly the hospital is supposed to be a healing place and
the amount of bad things one is exposed to is appalling.