141st APHA Annual Meeting

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293591
Assessment of the capacity of local health departments to address the health impacts of climate change in Massachusetts

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

Suzanne K. Condon, MS , Center for Environmental Health and Center for Emergency Preparedness, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA
Margaret Round , Environmental Toxicology Program, Massachusetts Department of Health/Bureau of Environmental Health, Boston, MA
Peter Stone , Environmental Toxicology Program, Massacusetts Department of Public Health/Bureau of Environmental Health, Boston, MA
Evidence indicates that the health effects of climate change will be felt most directly and severely at the local level; thus, local health departments will need to prepare to serve as the front line for delivering health services to the public. Unlike many states in the U.S. that have county health departments, Massachusetts has local boards of health (LBOH) for each of its 351 cities and towns. As part of the CRSCI cooperative agreement, MDPH/BEH conducted a survey aimed to assess the capacity of local boards of health (LBOH) in Massachusetts to respond to the public health impacts associated with climate change and to develop plans for reducing these health impacts. An important finding of the survey is that, although the majority (60%) of LBOH believe that their community is likely to experience serious climate-related public health problems, most local health departments in the Commonwealth have not prioritized these problems, feel unprepared and under-resourced and/or lack the expertise to adequately respond to these issues. LBOH identified several areas that MDPH could provide assistance including training sessions that critically examine best practices to more effectively address the impacts of local climate change, developing educational templates for translating climate change science and other relevant information for their community, and developing decision support tools (e.g., health impacts assessments, HIAs) for use at the local level to develop sustainable adaptation plans.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Other professions or practice related to public health
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related education
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Identify current gaps in local public health preparedness as it relates to climate change Discuss strategies that support local planning efforts to mitigate public health impacts related to climate change List best practices for developing plans to more effectively address the impacts of local climate change

Keywords: Environmental Health, Climate Change

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the project manager of a CDC cooperative agreement that assessed the capacity of local health departments in Massachusetts to effectively address the health impacts of climate change. Among my scientific interests has been predicting climate change effects on exposure to air pollutants, identifying gaps in local public health preparedness as it relates to climate change, and developing strategies that support local planning efforts to mitigate public health impacts related to climate change.
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.