Climate Crisis

The Project Story

The project launched with a nationwide survey as well as focus groups with nine pilot clinics in four states: California, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Texas. All of the focus group clinics have experienced recurring emergencies due to the climate crisis. Participating clinics provided information on knowledge gaps, real-world challenges, and opportunities for interventions for their patient populations. They also reviewed the toolkit content and provided valuable feedback that helps us ensure the utility of these resources.

From the data collected from the nationwide survey, we learned that:

• 81% of clinic staff said their clinic experienced some kind of disruption due to extreme weather within the past three years;
• Fewer than 20% of clinic staff feel their clinic is “very resilient” in the face of extreme weather;
• 77% of clinic staff say they do not have the knowledge or tools to implement climate change preparedness at their clinic; and
• More than 80% want education and training to protect their patients from climate-related events.

The team is using this information to create tailored resources for health care providers, staff, and patients on extreme heat, wildfires and hurricanes and working with clinics to put these materials into practice.

“This project is about resilience – not just protecting buildings but protecting people and communities. It is the first of its kind to focus on developing resources for frontline clinics – clinics that serve people disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis,” said Kristin Stevens, Director, Climate and Disaster Resilience

The project will expand across the U.S. to ensure that more clinics providing free or low-cost health care to uninsured or underinsured patients – such as primary, behavioral, emergency, maternity, and specialty care – are ​​better equipped to manage care and protect patients from climate risks.