Report

This report complements and expands upon the information in the 2005 Casco Bay Estuary Partnership report, State of the Bay. This current report, Toxic Pollution in Casco Bay, details studies undertaken by Casco Bay Estuary Partnership (CBEP) and others on some of the sources of toxic chemicals entering the Bay and its watershed, on the impacts of toxic chemicals on Casco Bay wildlife, and on potential risks to human consumers of fish and shellfish. The report does not, however, address groundwater pollution and drinking water issues. The report conludes with ways that CBEP and partner organizations are working to reduce the loading of toxic chemicals to the Bay and its watershed.

Presented at the 2012 National Rural Health Association Meeting in Denver.

This report describes how the climate of Casco Bay watershed in Maine has changed over the past century and how the future climate of the region is likely to be affected by human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. Overall, the region has been getting warmer and wetter over the last century, and these trends have increased over the last four decades. To generate future projections for Portland, Farmington, and Lewiston, simulated temperature and precipitation from four climate models were fitted to local, long-term weather observations. Unknowns regarding fossil fuel consumption were accounted for by using two future scenarios. The scenarios describe climate in terms of temperature and precipitation for three future periods: the near-term, 2010-2039, mid-century, 2040-2069, and end-of-century, 2070-2099. All changes are relative to a historical baseline, 1970-1999. Some future changes are inevitable, so smart choices must be made to ensure our society and our environment will be able to adapt to coming change. But with prompt action, many of the most extreme consequences of climate change could be avoided or their worst impacts reduced.

The authors discuss the use of patient safety culture surveys as a means to promote organizational learning and build a culture of safety. Detailed information on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and adaptation for use in rural hospitals is available in the Briefing Paper. A listing of additional tools and resources to enhance patient safety culture is provided in both the Policy Brief and the Briefing Paper.

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