Health in All Policies: Advancing Clean Air, Climate and Health

Health in all policies is a collaborative approach to improving the health of all people by incorporating health considerations into decision-making across sectors and policy arenas. Outcomes are intended to: a) Promote health, equity, and sustainability, b) support inter-sectoral collaboration, c) benefit multiple partners, d) engage stakeholders, and e) create structural or procedural change. As the climate changes, nurses have been on the frontlines seeing the health impacts of extreme weather, increased allergens and asthma rates, increasing vector ranges, and the resultant strain on our healthcare infrastructure. There are over 3 million nurses in the US, working in a variety of settings including communities, schools, workplaces, and health care facilities with the capacity to reach a large number of people and partners in efforts to advocate for clean energy and clean air policies that would reduce impacts of climate change. However, most nurses are not informed about climate change, its health impacts, and how to advocate for healthier policies. The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) developed a series of web-based media modules and companion workbook to create a campaign for advocacy designed for public health nurses who are interested in learning about the science of climate change, public health impacts, and how they can effectively advocate for the Clean Air Act and clean energy policies. Findings from the web-based media module series and how it addressed health in all policies will be shared with participants.