New York City Climate and Health Program

Lead Organization: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Program Name: New York City Climate and Health Program

Summary:
The New York City Climate and Health Program (NYC CHP) focuses on the health impacts of current and future climate-related hazards, primarily, extreme heat, extreme cold, and power outages. The program relies on several approaches, including CDC’s Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework, to analyze the magnitude of these impacts and which populations and communities are most at risk to these impacts, develop, promote, or evaluate climate resilient policies and interventions, and communicates climate-health risk messages. In addition, the program works to ensure that health is a consideration in larger, multi-sectoral planning or resiliency initiatives. The program does this by helping to prioritize local communities for climate mitigation and adaption investments. One example of this is the NYC Heat Vulnerability Index, developed by NYC CHP and Columbia University, which provides an understanding of how the risk for dying during a heat emergency varies across neighborhoods. To achieve program success, the program relies heavily on partnerships with internal sister agency programs including, the Air Quality Program, the Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, Healthy Homes, Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, and the Center for Health Equity. The program also collaborates with federal, state, and city agencies, including the NYC Mayor’s Office of Resiliency and NYC Emergency Management, other health department climate and health programs across the country, as well as community- and faith-based organizations, service and healthcare providers, and academicians.

Climate-Ready City funded since 2010

Program successes include:

• NYC Climate and Health: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/climate-change-and-public-health.pageexternal icon
• NYC Climate and Health Profile with many publications listed: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/environmental/climate-health-profile-report.pdfpdf iconexternal icon
• NYC Emergency Preparedness – Threats (Extreme Weather and Power): https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/emergency-preparedness/threats.pageexternal icon
• NYC Extreme Heat and Your Health: nyc.gov/health/heatexternal icon
• NYC Environment and Health Data Portal: http://a816-dohbesp.nyc.gov/IndicatorPublic/PublicTracking.aspxexternal icon

To learn more, please visit: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/climate-change-and-public-health.pageexternal icon