141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

283220
Building local capacity to address the health equity implications of climate change: A case study of public health involvement in sustainability and adaptation planning

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 3:20 PM - 3:35 PM

Sandi Galvez, MSW , Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative, Oakland, CA
Cathleen Baker, MPP , Health Policy and Planning, San Mateo County Health System, San Mateo, CA
Mona Mena, MSW , Emergency Medical Services, Alameda County Public Health Department, San Leandro, CA
Solange Gould, MPH , Public Health, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Michael Kent , Contra Costa Health Services, Martinez, CA
Will Dominie , Contra Costa Health Services, Martinez, CA
Susan Stuart, MA, MPH , Center for Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Santa Clara County Public Health Department, San Jose, CA
Amy Smith, MPH , Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII), Oakland, CA
Pam Willow, JD, MPP , Alameda County Public Health Department, Oakland, CA
Public health professionals have a significant opportunity to increase public understanding of climate change and its implications for human health. We are uniquely suited to educate diverse populations about the huge potential for climate change to harm individual and community health and exacerbate existing inequities, and to engage those populations in developing actionable solutions.

The Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII), a collaboration of eleven local public health departments in the San Francisco Bay Area, came together in 2002 to transform public health practice to achieve health equity by using a broad spectrum of approaches to build healthier communities. California's climate change legislation (A.B. 32; S.B. 375) has created a unique opportunity for public health to develop working partnerships with professionals and advocates involved in land-use and transportation planning, as well as air and water quality management through participation in the creation of the region's mitigation and adaptation plans. BARHII's involvement in these efforts has led to an increased focus on health and equity in the region's planning process as well as concurrent capacity-building of participating public health and planning professionals. A series of short publications was developed to build the capacity of broader public health staff to highlight the connection between equity and human health impacts of climate change and translate this understanding into public health practice. Lessons learned from the regional advocacy and planning process, community engagement, and development of capacity-building materials and strategies will be discussed.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Public health or related public policy
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Discuss the connection between climate change, public health, and health equity Describe how public health can influence local planning of transportation, land use, air, and water agencies Explain how to build strategic alliances with advocacy groups to influence policy Articulate how to build public health capacity to integrate climate change work List at least three ways that public health departments can address climate change through programs and operations

Keywords: Policy/Policy Development, Climate Change

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have lead responsibility for BARHII's health department organizational development, built environment, and climate change work. I currently serve as a Policy Advisor to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and served as a Planning Commissioner in the City of Oakland, CA from 2007-2011.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.