Climate shocks including heat waves, wildfires, hurricanes, and flooding are disrupting healthcare delivery and harming patients. Harvard Chan C-CHANGE is working with frontline health clinics that serve highly impacted communities to develop and deploy resources that can safeguard their patients’ health.
To learn more, reach out to Sweta Waghela at swaghela@hsph.harvard.edu.
The Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics Toolkit
Nurses, doctors, administrators and other healthcare staff need resources to help them navigate the impacts of climate change on their clinics and their patients. We are working with Americares to develop, implement, assess, and improve the Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics Toolkit, which brings together the best available scientific evidence and the lived experience of health professionals in frontline clinics, providing actionable information for patients, providers, and administrators to improve climate readiness. Resources include patient tip sheets and action plans, clinical guidance sheets, and preparatory checklists for clinic administrators. The resources are publicly available, allowing all clinics serving free or low-cost health care to uninsured or underinsured patients to be better equipped to manage care and protect patients from climate risks. Learn more.
The toolkit was developed in response to the findings of a needs assessment survey conducted in 2021, which reached over 400 respondents and identified the need for informational resources on climate hazards such as heat, wildfires, and extreme weather. An initial version of the toolkit was piloted in 19 clinics across the United States. Following a series of focus groups, surveys, interviews with toolkit users, and expert working groups, we updated and revised the toolkit to better meet the needs of its users and reflect the latest research at the intersection of climate change and health. The updated toolkit will be available in the late summer of 2024.
Looking for patient action plans to support your planning and counseling? We have resources for heat, flooding, wildfires, and hurricanes.
View the full toolkit with materials in English and Spanish for patients, providers, and clinic administrators.
Harvard Chan students conducted implementation research with pilot clinics and helped revise the materials in this toolkit. If you are interested in learning more about opportunities for students, please contact Sweta Waghela at swaghela@hsph.harvard.edu.
Dangerous Heat Alerts for Frontline Clinics
When is heat dangerous to patients, who is at risk, and what can a nurse or doctor do about it? Clinicians looking for answers to these questions can sign up to receive heat alerts developed through a collaboration between Harvard Chan C-CHANGE and Climate Central. The heat alert system provides users with location-specific dangerous heat information from the CDC / NWS HeatRisk system, paired with information about populations at risk and links to resources for counseling, patient education, and workplace safety.
How does it work? Learn more about how heat alerts are generated and what information they contain.
If you are a clinical staff member interested in signing up to receive heat alerts for areas with HeatRisk mapping coverage, please email Sweta Waghela at swaghela@hsph.harvard.edu.
Harvard Chan students helped conduct a needs assessment and develop the messaging strategy and content for this project. If you are interested in learning more about opportunities for students, please contact Sweta Waghela at swaghela@hsph.harvard.edu.
Clinic Actions Plans for Prevention of Health Harms from Heat and Smoke
Preventing climate-related health harms requires providing resources that go beyond the walls of frontline clinics and that can support patients in their homes and communities. In collaboration with Americares, we have developed a portfolio of prevention-focused resources to address heat and wildfire smoke hazards. Participating clinics use an online assessment tool to generate customized heat and smoke action plans, which include interventions ranging from wellness checks to air conditioner distribution. With support from Johnson & Johnson, we are expanding this program across the country, with a goal of bolstering climate resilience in 100 free and charitable clinics and community health centers by 2025.
Students at Harvard contributed to the development of the resource guides for heat and wildfire smoke. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Sweta Waghela at swaghela@hsph.harvard.edu.
Continuing Education on Climate Change for Health Professionals
Many practicing clinicians do not learn about the impacts of climate change on health and healthcare during their formal degree programs. Our team developed a continued education course for nurses, doctors, advanced practice providers, psychologists, and other health professionals seeking to advance their clinical knowledge in ways that allow them to better serve their patients in the context of our changing climate. The course was first offered in May 2024. Learn more about this accredited CME opportunity.
Climate Resilience Resources for Healthcare in the Philippines
We are working with Americares and a wide variety of stakeholders in the Philippines to develop resources for clinicians, community members, patients, and health center staff to improve climate resilience. Building off of the Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics Toolkit, these resources will reflect climate hazards, clinical context, and health communications strategies relevant to the Filipino setting. Learn more about this project.
Harvard Chan students conducted a literature review that provided important information for this project. If you are interested in learning more about opportunities for students, please contact Sweta Waghela at swaghela@hsph.harvard.edu.
