Findings from the State Environmental Health Indicator Collaborative on climate change

The goal of the State Environmental Health Indicator Collaborative (SEHIC) Workgroup on Climate Change is to develop, pilot test, compile, and disseminate standardized indicators on environmental and public health effects of climate change for ongoing surveillance. The Workgroup is composed of Federal and State agency health and environmental professionals and is sponsored by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The Workgroup recommends that the following indicators be tracked: (1) hazard indicators such as increased temperatures, and extreme weather events; (2) exposure indicators such as population vulnerabilities; (3) indicators of health effects of climate change; and (4) intervention indicators, including preparedness, mitigation, adaptation, and policy indicators. The Workgroup formed four initial teams, based on workgroup interest and resources, which were (1) Indicators of air quality and extreme weather events; (2) Indicators of health effects; (3) Indicators of Vector-borne disease; and (4) Indicators of Population Vulnerabilities. The Air Quality Team has recommended that measures of increased particulate matter and frequency of wildfires related to climate change be tracked as initial indicators; the Population Vulnerabilities Team developed indicators of population vulnerabilities to heat and flooding; and the Health Effects Team developed indicators of Excess Mortality and Morbidity related to Heat Events. The Vector-borne Disease Team conducted an online survey of all State vector-borne disease programs and assessed State priorities of vector-borne diseases and inventoried availability of supplemental meteorological data. This presentation will show the results of the Workgroup's recommendations to date, including compiled data from States, and discuss plans for future work.