Local health departments (LHDs) are essential in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from public health emergencies and disasters, positioning them at the forefront of the battle against climate change’s adverse health effects. However, recent findings from the 2023 Are We Ready survey reveal that most of our local public health workforce has yet to tackle the health risks associated with climate change and feels unprepared to do so. Given the complexity of climate change and the fact that adaptation measures that benefit health and well-being are mostly found in other sectors, a comprehensive approach like Health in All Policies (HiAP) is essential.
To illustrate how HiAP can help public health address the health impacts of climate change at the local level, NACCHO created a new resource based on the stories of three LHDs. This resource, ‘A Health in All Policies approach to addressing the health impacts of climate change’, explores the strategies utilized by the Boston Public Health Commission, the Pima County Health Department, and the New Orleans Health Department, to confront this critical issue. Through these stories, NACCHO seeks to empower LHDs to implement their own HiAP strategies for tackling the health impacts of climate change.
Click here to download the resource ‘A Health in All Policies approach to addressing the health impacts of climate change’.
