OPHA Updating Climate Report

Ohio Public Health Resiliency Coalition is in the process of updating the 2017 report on public health impacts of climate change and climate-related weather events in Ohio communities.

Potential public health-related impacts associated with climate change include: extreme weather events; decline in air quality; increased production of pollens; heat stroke and heat-related illnesses; altered environmental conditions that foster the spread of communicable and vector-borne diseases; decreased food supply; decreased water quality; increased mental health stress.

The follow-up report will include findings from the most recent survey as well as current resources for educating the community about issues created by changing climate.

Background:  OPHA formed the Ohio Public Health Resiliency Coalition to develop a resource for use by local public health professionals in their efforts to address the public health impacts of climate change and climate-related weather events in their communities. The document, titled “Climate Resilience in Ohio – A Public Health Approach to Preparedness and Planning” is a tool which focused on the risks and adverse outcomes that the communities served by Ohio’s local health departments are likely to face due to climate change effects. The report was released during the 2018 Public Health Combined Conference.