Public Health Laws and Policies
This tab includes strategies for how to avoid or reduce climate change impacts in the public health sector. It also includes any laws, legislation, regulations, agency guidance, and executive orders relevant to public health.
Resources are automatically presented by rating, but can be sorted by date or title. Apply additional filters to narrow by resource type, state, region, impact, or jurisdictional focus.
20 results are shown below.
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Resource
2013
The Michigan Department of Community Health has developed the Michigan Climate and Health Adaptation Program (MICHAP) to prepare for health risks from climate change. Through support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MICHAP is building a climate-resilient public health system for Michigan at the state, local health department, and community levels.
Related Organizations: Michigan State University, Michigan Department of Community Health, University of Michigan
Resource Category: Solutions
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The California Climate Change and Health Equity Program (CCHEP) - of the Office of Health Equity at the California Department of Public Health - “embeds health and equity in California climate change planning, and embeds climate change and equity in public health planning. ” The CCHEP is working to increase climate resilience by improving the public health and living conditions of vulnerable populations. The CCHEP also provides public health and social equity input into state agency plans and programs that affect climate vulnerability, such as transportation and land use planning.
Related Organizations: California Department of Public Health
Resource Category: Solutions
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July 10, 2018
The Green Infrastructure and Health Guide was designed to help local governments, communities, and health care organizations connect green infrastructure (GI) and public health in new ways to promote better health equity and adapt to climate change. This report provides general GI principles and best practices as well as tools, resources, and evidence for connections between green infrastructure and human health. The Willamette Partnership and the Oregon Public Health Institute developed this guide in collaboration with the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange practitioner network.
Related Organizations: Willamette Partnership, Oregon Public Health Institute
Authors or Affiliated Users: Bobby Cochran, Barton Robison, Emily Henke
Resource Category: Solutions
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June 2019
The City of Seattle, Washington is establishing five new facilities that will provide clean air for its most at-risk residents during hazardous conditions brought on by wildfires. As the climate warms, Seattle is experiencing a major uptick in the number of wildfires, and consequently more days with unhealthy air quality from particulate matter. This issue is especially significant for Seattle, as the majority of the city’s residents do not have air conditioning, and mostly open windows to circulate air from outside to cool homes.
Related Organizations: City of Seattle, Washington
Resource Category: Solutions
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January 2017
Climate-smart health care as described in this report addresses how hospitals and health systems can prepare for climate change and its implications for public health, with a focus on extreme weather events. The costs for hospitals and care facilities associated with lack of preparation for these events - including severe storms, flooding, extreme temperatures, wildfires - are discussed in detail. The report also describes the benefits of preparedness, how “smart executives can take action,” and provides case studies of adaptation to extreme events in the health sector.
Related Organizations: Health Care Without Harm
Resource Category: Solutions
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December 15, 2014
Primary Care: Enhancing Health Care Resilience for a Changing Climate, from the U. S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS), assesses the current climate and weather related risks for health care infrastructure, and proposes some best practices for building resilience to climate change. The HHS climate resilience guide is intended to address a wide range of health care facility vulnerabilities. It spans risks related to buildings, utilities and infrastructure, including IT infrastructure, supply chain issues, the needs of staff, and the role of the healthcare facility in the broader community.
Related Organizations: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Resource Category: Solutions
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March 2015
This report explores the ways in which climate change, health, and equity are connected, and identifies many opportunities and recommendations for climate adaptation in the public health sector. From the Public Health Institute (PHI), the report analyzes the relationships between the social determinants of health, health inequities, and climate impacts - with an eye on how vulnerable populations overall are facing greater exposure. A number of examples are given of successful projects in which communities and public health organizations are taking action on climate change, health solutions, and social equity.
Related Organizations: Public Health Institute
Resource Category: Solutions
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2019
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services created the Climate and Health Toolkits to offer guidance on health-related climate change preparedness and response to local governments, health departments, and the public. Nine toolkits focused on Extreme Heat, Flood, Winter Weather, Wildfire, Chemical Release, Harmful Algal Blooms, Drought, Thunderstorms and Tornadoes, and Vectorborne Disease are provided, each accompanied by a one-page fact sheet for general audiences. Each toolkit offers background information, climate trends, and health impacts associated with the topic, as well as preparedness strategies and guidance, best practice tips, communication tools for outreach, and additional resources.
Related Organizations: Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Resource Category: Solutions
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April 1, 2010
Public Health Law and Policy, a non-profit organization focused on building healthy communities in the U. S. , gathered a diverse group of more than 150 participants for a multi-disciplinary exchange of ideas and strategies with the goal of better engaging public health networks and agencies in climate change work. This Action Plan presents a synthesis of those recommendations and priorities. Although developed for the state of California's public health system, the recommendations are largely applicable to any state.
Related Organizations: National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) , State of California
Resource Category: Solutions
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Miami-Dade County, Florida’s Million Trees Miami initiative aims to plant 1 million trees in lower-income communities with insufficient tree canopy in order to alleviate heat stress in the county. This initiative stems from the County’s 2006 Street Tree Master Plan, which set a goal to achieve 30% tree canopy in Miami-Dade by 2020. Neat Streets Miami, a multi-jurisdictional County Board, is working to implement this goal through the Million Trees Miami initiative. Through a 2016 Urban Tree Canopy Assessment, the County determined that lower-income areas, including predominantly African American and Hispanic neighborhoods, had significantly less tree canopy than their wealthier counterparts. As a result, the County is prioritizing tree planting in its most impoverished and low-canopy areas through initiatives such as the Street Tree Matching Grant. Increased tree canopy cover in communities provides many important adaptation benefits, including protection from flooding, urban heat island mitigation, and improved water and air quality.
Related Organizations: Miami-Dade County, Florida
Resource Category: Solutions
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