Mercy College Nursing Faculty in Fire Drill Fridays Event

Adrienne Wald, Ed.D., MBA, R.N. CNE, MCHES, associate professor of nursing at Mercy College, participated in a “Fire Drill Fridays” event at the United States Capitol Building on December 20, 2019.

Led by actress Jane Fonda, “Fire Drill Fridays” are weekly demonstrations on Capitol Hill that bring awareness to issues impacting the environment. Inspired by youth that have acted to combat climate concerns, Fonda has pledged to live in Washington D.C. and lead these Friday demonstrations for several months, with each Friday focused on different topics as they relate to climate.

Wald attended the “Our Health Can’t Wait” demonstration, where health professionals from around the world gathered to support the health and safety of our communities. She was accompanied by nurses from the Alliance of Nurses for Health Environments (AHNE), including “Fire Drill Fridays” speaker Anabell Castro Thompson, nurse practitioner, senior vice president of equity, diversity and inclusion at Equality Health and board member of AHNE. She is also the immediate past president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.

Prior to the demonstration at the Capitol, Wald, along with Castro-Thompson and other AHNE members, met with several elected officials to thank them for their leadership and offer expertise for their work on legislation to promote action on climate and health. The elected officials included New York State Senator Charles Schumer, United States Congressman Antonio Delgado (NY-19) and United States Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14).