Resilience and Equity in Addressing Climate Health

This project aims to improve climate readiness and response at the health and social systems, clinical, and individual levels by researching, educating, and supporting Pennsylvania’s Community Health Centers and Area Agencies on Aging to better serve vulnerable populations, including economically disadvantaged individuals and older adults.

Older adults and economically disadvantaged individuals are most vulnerable to the negative health influences of extreme heat, flooding, and air quality. Need: The publicly funded organizations responsible for providing health and social services need to be prepared to effectively care for these groups in this changing climate. Approach: A multi-disciplinary team of researchers, climate experts, and health care professionals, educators, and outreach specialists will collaboratively 1) conduct research investigating climate readiness and response of Pennsylvania’s 52 Community Health Centers (CHCs), including 43 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and 52 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), 2) provide training and education to CHC and AAA leadership, clinicians, and case managers through Project ECHO® to improve workforce climate capacity, and 3) travel to rural and underserved communities for outreach and dissemination of health related climate education through the Penn State Mobile Health Clinic. Impact: Engaging systems of care in research, education, and outreach will 1) advance understanding of climate preparedness and experiences of CHCs and AAAs to inform state, community, and organizational planning and policy development, and 2) identify a) collaborative solutions to support organizational readiness and b) education to meet climate-related gaps in clinical care, adult social services, system supports, and challenges with serving vulnerable populations. This foundational work will inform interventions to be tested in subsequent research.