Protecting the Health and Well-Being of Communities in a Changing Climate Proceedings of a Workshop (2018) / Chapter Skim
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4 Regional Perspectives from the Midwest
4 Regional Perspectives from the Midwest
Pages 45-60
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From page 45... ...
The focus of this second panel was on strategies for responding to climate change that are being implemented by health agencies and organizations in the Midwest. First, Paul Biedrzycki from the City of Milwaukee Health Department emphasized the important role of local public health officials in responding to climate change and discussed how this role is playing out in the City of Milwaukee.
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From page 46... ...
(Biedrzycki) • xamples of successful local climate change adaptation strategies being E implemented in Milwaukee include a community garden rainfall harvesting program; changes in both the reporting of Lyme disease and risk messaging about Lyme disease to health care providers and to the public; engagement with large corporate entities to ensure business continuity in the face of differ ent climate change scenarios; and development of a heat vulnerability index.
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From page 47... ...
Local public health agencies also maintain a focus on health disparities. Biedrzycki referred to Patel's opening remarks on health equity and added that climate change exacerbates existing health disparities and inequities.
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From page 48... ...
The take away from the survey, in Biedrzycki's opinion, was that fewer than 5 percent of local health departments had programs to educate the public about climate change and potential impacts. Similarly, only 19 percent have ample expertise and 8.4 percent agree that they have sufficient resources to protect residents from health impacts associated with climate change.
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From page 49... ...
The city has been able to engage these companies in public health emergency planning in response to several threats, particularly the post-September 11 bioterrorism threat and the threat of pandemic influenza. The focus of the city's current engagement regarding climate health is on business continuity in the face of different climate change scenarios, such as a power outage during extreme heat or a prolonged heat event, a drinking water shortage, or a disease outbreak.
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From page 50... ...
Finally, he mentioned a community engagement toolkit for Wisconsin, funded by the BRACE grant, that is now being integrated into local health department emergency planning, especially with respect to climate change scenarios (Wisconsin Climate and Health Program, 2016)
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From page 51... ...
. 3 This section summarizes information presented by Jeff Thompson, executive advisor and chief executive officer emeritus, Gundersen Health System, La Crosse, Wisconsin.
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From page 52... ...
Nor was climate change the discussion back around 2008, Thompson explained. Rather, the discussion revolved around how to decrease pollution that is causing harm to people, how to do so while decreasing operating cost, and how to improve the local economy and stop sending money out of the state (e.g., importing coal from Wyoming for electricity and natural gas from Texas for heat)
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From page 53... ...
. After its initial conservation phases, most of the next steps in Gundersen's effort to gain energy independence have involved the generation and use of renewable energy, beginning with wind energy generation and a landfill bio-gas project (see Figure 4-2)
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From page 54... ...
health system heated, powered, and cooled by local renewable energy. NOTE: Strategies used by Gundersen, since 2008, to become energy independent.
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From page 55... ...
Specifically, in contrast to the 72 million pounds of CO2 emitted in 2008, only 1.6 million were emitted in 2016, representing a 98 percent reduction; in contrast to the more than 435,000 pounds of particulate matter emitted in 2008, only 11,000 were emitted in 2016, representing a 97 percent reduction; and in contrast to the more than 2 pounds of mercury emitted in 2008, only 0.16 pounds were emitted in 2016, representing a 94 percent reduction. Increased Return on Investment Not only have fossil fuel emissions improved, but Gundersen has also made money on these efforts by changing its investment portfolio.
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From page 56... ...
Framing Climate Change as a Health Issue Linda Rudolph observed that both Jonathan Patz and Georges Benjamin had emphasized the importance of framing climate change as a health issue earlier in the morning, yet Thompson, in this panel, spoke about not leading with climate change. Additionally, she remarked that based on having perused many local health department websites, including Milwaukee's, climate change is not prominent in any but a small number of local health department communications.
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From page 57... ...
Biedrzycki replied that while he had mentioned during his presentation that local public health departments were on the front line, it is actually the private health care providers who are on the front line. Private health care, in his opinion, has an essential role in broaching the climate conversation within the community.
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From page 58... ...
Noting that the intention was not to be overly critical of CDC and that he was aware that the American Public Health Association was a strong advocate and promoter, in his opinion, there is no strong national leader or champion. Until a national leader emerges, he said, "I think we are going to struggle with developing this comprehensive plan that interlinks us horizontally and vertically across our communities nationwide." Thompson added that the opportunity is not dissimilar to other times in history when governments "dragged their feet" for political, financial, or other reasons.
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From page 59... ...
Building the trust to do that requires time. "It's not prescribed," he said, "It's developed." Sanne Magnan observed that the rainfall harvesting project appears to have built what Biedrzycki had referred to in his talk as "community social capital." She asked whether it is a lack of such capital (i.e., decreased community cohesion, increased social instability)
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From page 60... ...
On the other hand, when meaningful seminal partnerships are formed, as they were with the rainfall harvesting project, then these tensions can be assuaged and trust can be built. Also related to the issue of building trust, Pamela Russo of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation commented on the clear win–win situation demonstrated by Gundersen's investment in the community.
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