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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Resource
October 2009
This report, from Trust for America's Health (TFAH), examines the human health effects of climate change and the role public health authorities must play in preventing and preparing for further climate-related damage. It also explores the needs of state and local health departments as they set out to conduct climate change needs assessments and provides a framework to develop strategic plans to prevent and prepare for climate change. TFAH makes policy recommendations pertaining to increased action from federal, state, and local governments.
Related Organizations: Trust for America's Health
Authors or Affiliated Users: Jeffrey Levi, Serena Vinter, Daniella Gratale, Chrissie Juliano, Laura M. Segal
Resource Category: Monitoring and Reporting
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Resource
March 2008
This article from the American Journal of Public Health (March 2008, Vol. 98, No. 3) outlines a public health approach to climate change, based on the 10 essential public health services. This approach would extend to both clinical and population health services and emphasize the coordination of government agencies (federal, state, and local), academia, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Howard Frumkin, Jeremy J. Hess, George Luber, Josephine Malilay, Michael McGeehin
Resource Category: Planning
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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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Resource
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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Resource
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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Resource
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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Resource
August 31, 2015
This paper from the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law addresses how increased temperatures and heat waves caused by climate change affect prisons, jails, and their staff and inmate populations. Recommendations are offered for what correctional departments can do to prepare for greater heat and minimize the dangers it poses.
Related Organizations: Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School
Resource Category: Assessments
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Resource
2015
The Rhode Island Department of Health’s Climate Change and Health Resiliency Report identifies the climate change impacts on public health in Rhode Island, and offers strategies that can strengthen the effectiveness of public health management for climate impacts in the state. The report describes the threats that climate change poses to the state and its vulnerable populations, and details ongoing and planned best practices to counter these threats and protect vulnerable groups. The Department of Health Climate Change Program (HEALTH) has implemented climate adaptation projects that are highlighted throughout the report, along with Rhode Island case studies, and examples of best practices from across the country.
Related Organizations: Rhode Island Department of Health
Resource Category: Assessments
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Resource
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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