Oral

Following-on with the idea of “climate-health vulnerability” that was discussed at the 2010 APHA meeting session from the APHA Topic Committee on Climate Change and Health, this session will look at this topic from various scales -- National, State, and Community – to further explore definitions of vulnerability. Each scale is essential to understand. There are now more of the local (community) vulnerability assessments available; but with the advent of the next National Climate Assessment (NCA) in 2013, vulnerability assessments will take center stage as key tools for understanding how climate change will affect public health in the various regions of the US. In order to synthesize the findings of the NCA, and create meaningful policy applications for local decision-makers, this session will offer a discussion of how climate-health vulnerability is defined and assessed and what factors affect it.

Session Objectives: 1. Identify three key components among various definitions of climate change “vulnerability.” 2. Describe two types of exposures that tend to increase the vulnerability of urban communities to adverse climate-health impacts. 3. List four adaptive strategies that can be used to reduce climate-health vulnerabilities in urban communities.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)