Online Program

Oral

The world’s climate is showing signs of a shift. The world is becoming warmer, with more precipitation and weather extremes. Potential effects of this climate change are likely to include more variable weather. Stronger and longer heat waves, more frequent extreme weather events such as flooding and tropical cyclones, rises in sea level, and increased air pollution will become more the rule than the exception. According to a 2008 national survey conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund and National Association of County and City Health Officials, 77 percent of local health directors surveyed felt they lacked resources to address climate-related health threats. At the state government level, a 2009 Association of State and Territorial Health Officials survey revealed that most state health officials have identified significant gaps that included expert staffing and training to adequately deal with the challenges of climate change. CDC is helping states and cities to develop ways to anticipate the health effects of climate change by applying climate science, predicting health impacts, and preparing flexible programs through implementation of the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework. The BRACE framework is a 5 step process that will help health departments to become “climate ready”. Through its “Climate Ready States and Cities Initiative” (CRSCI), CDC is supporting 18 advanced practice sites in state and local health departments to pilot the implementation of the elements of the BRACE framework. This session will feature information detailing Step 1 of the BRACE framework: Anticipating Climate Effects and Assessing Vulnerabilities. Speakers will highlight the methods for undertaking this critical step of the BRACE framework, and will present the findings and lessons learned from their experience. Speakers will include experts from CDC, and grantees from the CRSCI sites implementing the BRACE framework. CDC and CRSCI grantees hope to continue presenting lessons learned from implementing successive steps of the BRACE framework in future years at the APHA Annual Meeting.

Session Objectives: 1.Describe the series of activities to be undertaken for a health agency to undertake Step 1 of the BRACE framework – preparing a climate and health profile report, and vulnerability assessments. 2.Identify the sources of information for undertaking Step 1 of the BRACE framework: Preparing a climate and health profile report, and vulnerability assessments. 3.Describe the barriers and challenges experienced by health agencies that have implemented Step 1 of the BRACE framework.

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