Investing in Health in San Antonio, Texas

Join the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments at the Carver Cultural Arts Center in San Antonio, TX, for a half-day, in-person symposium for all public health professionals, clinicians and students exploring how historic investments in clean energy and climate action are already creating healthier, more sustainable communities—right here in Texas. All attendees are eligible for 4 Nursing CE’s. 

We are also offering this event in a hybrid format, so you are able to attend either virtually or in-person. 

Investments in clean energy, climate resilience, and pollution reduction are directly improving air quality, expanding access to zero-emission transportation, and strengthening public health. At this symposium, expert speakers will highlight how these initiatives are already making an impact in local Texas communities and share real-world case studies and success stories. Attendees will gain valuable insights into how nurses and health professionals can support and amplify this progress at the state and community level.

Designed to empower and inspire, this event will provide the knowledge, tools, and connections needed to lead in advancing health-centered climate solutions and shaping a more equitable, sustainable future for all.

All health professionals and students are welcome! This course is pending approval by the California Board of Registered Nurses, Provider Number CEP17198. Included in the registration fee is lunch (buffet-style catering) and hors d’oeuvres plus 1 complementary bar ticket for those 21 years and older at the reception. 

Scholarships are available for general admission and student general admission. Please reach out to cara@envirn.org to request a scholarship.

Date: Thursday October 2, 2025

Location: Little Carver Cultural Arts Center

Symposium/Event Title: Investing In Health: The Local Impacts of Climate Action & Clean Energy

Total CE: 4 credit hours

Program overview/Description of Event: With historic progress and investments in clean energy and sustainable communities, it’s an opportune time for nurses and other health professionals in Texas to amplify progress by supporting environmental health at a state, local, and community level. This unique program is designed to equip nurses and health professionals with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities needed to amplify leadership towards advancing impactful action for healthy and sustainable communities.

Opening Land Acknowledgement | Ramon D. Vasquez | Community Engagement Manager | American Indians In Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions

Ramon D. Vasquez is a member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation and serves as Director of Community Engagement at the American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions. Raised in San Antonio, he began his journey with the organization through its Rites of Passage Program and now oversees initiatives advancing Tribal and Urban Native equity, political power, and economic justice. With deep ties to his community’s traditions, Ramon also develops culturally grounded professional development and serves as a cultural musician and educator, dedicated to preserving Coahuiltecan heritage and strengthening families and communities through education, art, and wellness.

Keynote: Ana Sandoval, MPH, Senior Director of Sustainable Futures at NALCAB and former Council Woman of the City of SA

Title: Climate Impacts in Texas: A Planetary Health Perspective

Overview/Description: 

Our keynote will cover the importance of a planetary health approach to health and review the current state of environmental and climate health in Texas. 

Objectives:

1. Describe the importance of addressing climate and the environment as it relates to human health.
2. Discuss the importance of properly funded programs, at the state and local level, and how these can improve health for patient populations and communities in Texas.

Ana is a San Antonian with two decades of experience in environmental planning, public education and engagement, and environmental justice. Ana currently leads the Sustainable Futures program for the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB). As a former San Antonio City Councilwoman she led the adoption of the City’s Climate Action Plan and the creation of the Resiliency, Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Fund. Ana holds a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MPH in Environmental Health.  Ana lives with her 3-year old daughter, Juliet Isadora, and next-door to her mother, Julia.

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Panel: Clean Energy Investments Panel: What is it and what is at stake in Texas? 

Overview/Description:

This panel will feature a diverse group of experts from healthcare, advocacy and community to discuss how climate funding benefits their work and what the future could look like with funding cuts.

Moderator: Milagros R. Elia, M.A, APRN, ANP-BC, Program Manager Climate and Clean Energy Advocacy

1. Adelita G. Cantu, PhD, RN, CHWI, FAANHE AN, Professor UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, Chair, TX- Physicians for Social Responsibility, Board Member, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
2. Pressanna Parackal, DNP, RN, CCRN, CNRN, CRRN, RN-BC, Hospital Supervisor, VA, Hospital Supervisor, University Health System, Environmental Health Research Institute for Nurse and Clinician Scientists (EHRI-NCS).2025 Cohort Fellow of Climate Health Organizing Programs. 2025 Cohort
3. Douglas Melnick, AICP, CNU-A, Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO)for the City of SA, TX
4. DeeDee Belmares, Clean Energy Advocate at Public Citizen  

Objectives:

1. Describe the Inflation Reduction Act and 2 potential benefits to the health of this legislation and funding in Texas.
2. Identify 2 current projects in Texas which utilize the Inflation Reduction Act. 
3. Consider local advocacy opportunities in which health workers and clinicians can engage.
4. Summarize current climate and environmental health work being carried out in Texas.

Adelita G. Cantu, PhD, RN, FAAN, CHWI, Professor and Interim Director of the PhD Program at UT Health School of Nursing, is passionate about educating future nurses on population health issues, particularly environmental health. She co-edited Environmental Health in Nursing, winner of the 2017 American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year in Environmental Health Award and contributed two chapters to its second edition. To align with the New Essentials for Baccalaureate Nursing (3.6b), she introduced a Climate Change as a Public Health Issue module in the Population Health class and designed a reflective assignment on its application to prevention. In 2019, she received the Charlotte Brody Award from HealthCare Without Harm. In addition, Dr. Cantu was recently awarded the Presidential Sustained Teaching Award at UT Health. Dr. Cantu’s teaching and service have made a lasting impact on the community’s health.

DeeDee Belmares was born and raised on the city’s southside by working class parents. She learned early on from them to practice conservation.  DeeDee is a Clean Energy Advocate with Public Citizen where she works for a world where renewable energy is used to power our city and that the people most vulnerable in the climate crisis are protected.

Douglas Melnick was named the City of San Antonio’s first Chief Sustainability Officer in March 2014 and oversaw the development and current implementation of the SA Climate Ready Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, an equity-based plan designed to meet the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. He is also leading the development of the EPA-funded Alamo Area Climate Action Plan and leads the City of San Antonio’s Urban Heat Island Mitigation & Climate Resilience Programs, including the Cool Neighborhoods and Climate Ready Neighborhoods Programs. Mr. Melnick also oversaw a recently approved 13MW onsite solar project at 42 municipal sites and that will be the largest such installation in Texas and second only to NYC nationally. He has twenty-two years of local government experience and previously served as Director of Planning & Sustainability for the City of Albany, NY.

Pressanna Jose Parackal, DNP, RN, CCRN, CNRN, RN-BC, CRRN is a Hospital Supervisor at University Health, Nurse Officer on Duty at STVHCS, Adjunct Faculty at UTHSCSA and Alamo Colleges, and Founding President of SAINA. She has also served as President of SUMA, Communications & Membership Chair of NAINA, and Honorary Executive Committee member of IASA.

An internationally recognized nursing leader and activist, Dr. Parackal is passionate about empowering others through advocacy, mentorship, and community engagement. She has organized numerous professional conferences, guided nurses into leadership roles, and is a Fellow of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. Her environmental work includes community garden projects promoting health and climate resilience, and she advances diversity, equity, and inclusion as Program Manager for Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander initiatives.

Closing Remarks

Diana Lopez

Diana Lopez is a Xicana born and raised in San Antonio, TX, with deep roots along the Rio Bravo border. As the Executive Director of Southwest Workers Union (Centro por la Justicia), she advocates for environmental justice, living wages, and accountable governance. Under her leadership, Centro SWU has redefined public policy to prioritize community voices, leading successful campaigns on wage equity, military environmental cleanup, economic revitalization, healthcare, and energy justice.

Now in her 10th year at the helm, Diana has expanded the organization’s impact, fundraising, and membership, fostering a vibrant femme of color leadership body. She has guided the organization through strategic shifts, utilizing civic engagement and issue-based organizing to deepen community connection and influence.

Diana is passionate about the current community development project—transforming the organization’s property into the first grassroots funded Resilience Hub in San Antonio.