90% of LHDs reported no full-time staff dedicated to climate change. Without funding, and in the absence of trained and dedicated staff, LHDs cannot fully address the [climate-related] health challenges their communities face as temperatures around the country continue to climb.
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) surveyed a sample of local health departments (LHDs) across the country to better understand the scope and frequency of climate-related public health activities at the local level. The 2023 version of Are We Ready? is the third such iteration of this survey. It was last fielded in 2012, and prior to that, completed in 2008 for the first time.
As climate science over the past decade has vastly expanded our understanding of how a changing climate will affect both the environment and human health, this iteration of the survey featured an updated set of questions, distinct from the ones published in 2012 and 2008. While the individual questions from the 2008, 2012, and 2023 surveys are not directly comparable over time, the central finding of all three assessments remains the same: local public health officials across the country do not feel ready to confront either the present or predicted health effects of climate change.
Lack of funding emerges as one of the key barriers to building a climate-ready public health system. Ninety percent of LHDs reported no full-time staff dedicated to climate change. Without funding, and in the absence of trained and dedicated staff, LHDs cannot fully address the health challenges their communities face as temperatures around the country continue to climb, bringing with them an increased risk of floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and other dangerous weather events.
More than half of surveyed LHDs do not believe their communities or local elected officials were knowledgeable about the public health risks of climate change.
The findings in this report suggest an urgent need to invest in a climate-ready public health system, one that is fully equipped to keep communities safe, informed, and healthy under the rapidly changing environmental conditions of the 21st century.
Recommended citation:
Roy, A., Cunningham, M., Hall, K. (2024). Are We Ready? Report 3 - Preparing for the Public Health Challenges of Climate Change. Retrieved [Month, Year], from https://www.naccho.org/uploads/downloadable-resources/Are-We-Ready-2024-7-18-Final.pdf
