Caribbean Climate and Health Responders Course: Education for Action
- Second Edition -
DATES: April 2nd – May 2nd, 2024 (Tuesdays & Thursdays)
TIME: 6:00-7:30PM Eastern Time
Introduction
Climate change is a health issue that affects morbidity, mortality, and society’s abilities to deliver healthcare and support healthy living. The effects of climate change are already harming health around the world, and impacts will only intensify in the coming years. Heat waves and rainstorms are becoming more deadly, disease outbreaks last longer and are seen in new regions, wildfire smoke from tinder-dry forests reduces air quality, and food and water security are threatened by extreme weather. There is an imperative for quick action on many fronts: to recognize and respond to climate-health threats; prevent climate change at its source by reducing heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions; support “greener” systems throughout the economy, including healthcare; understand the health co-benefits of adaptation and mitigation; and communicate effectively about these issues for the sake of safeguarding human health.
To meet these challenges, current and future health professionals globally must understand the dynamics governing the interactions of climate and health, the level of scientific understanding of those interactions, and potential adaptation, mitigation, and resilience-building solutions, while carrying a respect for the processes and issues not yet fully understood. Furthermore, they need to be able to apply these principles to individual and population level health needs to devise individual and locally meaningful prescriptions and public health solutions. Education is key, but the climate and health field is young with a modest number of experts, significant gaps in knowledge, and few developed educational programs or curricula. To remedy this shortcoming, it is necessary to increase knowledge and skills among clinicians, public health practitioners, emergency responders, educators, healthcare leaders and policy makers in order to build capacity and so they may serve as trusted voices within their professions and institutions.
Caribbean Climate and Health Responder Course: Education for Action,developed through a partnership between EarthMedic/EarthNurse and the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE), University of the West Indies Climate, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Health Leaders Fellowship, Caribbean Health Alliance for Climate Action and the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) will address this critical need.
The Course’s key goals are to:
- Increase health professionals’ knowledge, self-efficacy andcommunication skills related to the climate crisis so they may both: 1) improve patient care and public health practice and 2) serve as their health community’s trusted messengers within their institutions, communities, and fields of practice
- Equip interested health professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to educate their institutions’ own learners so that health effects of climate change and emergency preparedness can be incorporated more easily into pre- and post-licensure training across the globe.
- Build and strengthen an agile and informed community around climate and health education, advocacy, and policy for health professionals with strong mentorship and expert support
Audience
All professionals interested in climate change and health are welcome!
Physicians, nurses, allied health professionals,federal, state or local public health workers, hospital administrators, health system leaders, health educators, policymakers, environmental health professionals, government officials, journalists, advocates, or those otherwise working in an area impacted by climate change.
CME CREDITS: One CME credit is applied per session attended in person. Application is made by completing the Google Link pasted in the Zoom "Chat" before the end of every session. The Link is live for 2-hours after the close of the session. FREE Credits are recognized by organizations within the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) region. CMEs Accreditation Body: The Caribbean College of Family Physicians CCFP.
Course Structure
The course will consist of ten bi-weekly (Tuesday and Thursday) live-virtual 90-minute sessions targeted towards health professionals from all backgrounds. Each session will consist of 45 minutes of “theory/foundation” followed by a case study. Lectures will be delivered by local and regional practicing experts in the field. There will be a live question and answer which will be monitored by the program team and questions will be consolidated and addressed by expert lecturers. Resources such as frameworks and suggested readings will be provided to all course participants following each session. Video recordings will be available following each session for asynchronous view.
Session Topics & Resources
Session 1: APR 2 - Climate Change for the Health Professional
Video Recording | Grabación | Slide Decks & Resources (Dispositivas)
Featuring:
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Dr. C James Hospedales, Founder/ Managing Director, EarthMedic/EarthNurse, Public Health Physician
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Dr. Edward Maibach, Director, Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University
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Moderated by: Dr. Cecilia Sorensen, Director, GCCHE, Columbia University
Session Learning Objectives:
- Explain the general mechanism of the greenhouse effect and describe how human activities, mainly combustion of fossil fuels, are exacerbating this natural phenomenon.
- The voice of health professionals in advocacy and policy is essential to address the climate and health crisis
- Identify the ways in which climate change preferentially impacts socioeconomically, racially, or ethnically marginalized communities locally and globally
- Distinguish between climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience
- Explain the main health impacts of climate change, how the health sector contributes to climate change and environmental degradation
Session 2: APR 4 - Extreme Weather Hazards: Hurricanes
Video Recording | Grabación | Slide Decks & Resources (Dispositivas)
Featuring:
- Prof. Tannecia Stephenson, Department of Physics, The University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica
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Dr. Latoya E. Storr, MBBS, Emergency Medicine Specialist Consultant Physician, Accident & Emergency Department at the Rand Memorial Hospital, Grand Bahama, Bahamas
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Moderated by: Dr. David A. Farrell [PG, PhD, MSc, BSc], Principal, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology
Session Learning Objectives:
- Describe the ways in which climate change increases the risk of extreme events such as hurricanes, inland and coastal flooding in the Caribbean
- Identify short-term and long-term[2] health threats to patients and communities impacted by extreme weather events and steps that health professionals can take to reduce these risks.
- Identify biologic, social, and structural factors that make individuals and populations more vulnerable to health impacts from extreme weather hazards
- Define the roles of disaster risk reduction, public health communication, early warning and regional cooperation in the prevention of the health impacts of extreme weather events
Session 3: APR 9 - Water-and Food Related Illness
Video Recording | Grabación | Slide Decks & Resources (Dispositivas)
Featuring:
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Mr. Steve Maximay, Plant Pathologist, Climate-Smart Agriculture and Marketing Expert, Caribbean Soilcare Project
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Dr. David A. Farrell [PG, PhD, MSc, BSc], Principal, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology
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Ms. Linnees Green-Baker, Environmental Health Specialist, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Jamaica
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Moderated by: Dr. C James Hospedales, Founder/ Managing Director, EarthMedic/EarthNurse, Public Health Physician
Session Learning Objectives:
- Describe how climate change impacts the hydrosphere, including droughts and heavy precipitation, and the implications for water availability, quality and supply
- Identify biologic, social, and structural factors that make individuals and populations more vulnerable to health impacts from climate-related changes to the hydrosphere
- Apply knowledge of climate impacts on the hydrologic cycle to the incidence and prevalence of waterborne pathogens including bacteria, parasites and viruses: Leptospirosis, Campylobacter, Salmonella, cryptosporidium, Norovirus, and Vibrio
- Describe how climate change affects all four dimensions of food security: food availability, stability of food supplies, access to food and food utilization.
- Discuss relationship between food, animal and plant agriculture and GHG emissions (methane, carbon) and the co-benefits of improved diets to address malnutrition and mitigate climate change
Session 4: APR 11 - Temperature Related Illness and Mortality
Video Recording | Grabación | Slide Decks & Resources (Dispositivas)
Featuring:
- Dr. Pablo A. Mendez Lazaro, Associate Professor, Environmental Health Department, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico - Medical Sciences Campus
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Ms. Shanice Bedward-Grant, National Coordinator - Jamaica Building Climate Resilience of Urban Systems through Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in Latin America and the Caribbean
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Dr. Lindonne Telesford, DrPH, MSPH, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean, Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, St. George’s University (SGU), Grenada
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Moderated by: Dr. Paula Henry, Family Physician, Associate, EarthMedic/EarthNurse
Session Learning Objectives:
- Identify current and projected changes to temperature and risks of extreme heat events in the Caribbean
- Define “heat sensitive” health conditions and cite examples of ways in which heat impacts the pathophysiology of cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, neurologic, and maternal diseases.
- Identify medical diagnoses, medications, and other health determinants that make patients more vulnerable to climate-related health threats and steps that health professionals can take to reduce risks
- Explain how extreme heat may exacerbate mental health burdens.
- Explore the role of heat early warning systems and other measures in preventing negative health outcomes
Session 5: APR 16 - Degraded Air Quality
Video Recording | Grabación | Slide Decks & Resources (Dispositivas)
Featuring:
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Dr. Andrea Sealy, PhD, Meteorologist, The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology
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Dr. Sateesh M. Sakhamuri, MBBS, DM, FCCP, ATSF, FAPSR is a Lecturer at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
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Dr. Paula Henry, Family Physician, Associate, EarthMedic/EarthNurse
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Moderated by: Dr. Hema Baboolol, PhD, Lecturer, Pollution Biology, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Session Learning Objectives:
- Describe the pathways through which climate change affects ozone, PM2.5, the occurrence of wildfires and other ambient respiratory irritants in the Caribbean how these pollutants impact climate-sensitive respiratory diseases such as asthma, COPD, chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular, and allergic diseases
- Identify populations that are vulnerable to degraded air quality.
- Describe how health professionals can protect these vulnerable patients, and teach about risk mitigation, such as limiting outside work and recreation during poor air quality days.
- Describe the near-term health co-benefits (e.g. improved air quality) that arise because of climate mitigation at the individual, local, and global scales
Session 6: APR 18 - Vector-borne and Zoonotic Disease
Video Recording | Grabación | Slide Decks & Resources (Dispositivas)
Featuring:
- Dr. Chris Oura, Professor, Veterinary Virology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago
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Dr. Sharlene Sanchez, Consultant-Internal Medicine, Arima General Hospital and Part Time Lecturer- Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine
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Moderated by: Dr. Paula Henry, Family Physician, Associate, EarthMedic/EarthNurse
Session Learning Objectives:
- Explain the environmental processes changing as result of climate change and how they impact the prevalence, incidence, and distribution of vector-borne and zoonotic disease
- For the following diseases, describe how climate change is influencing their distribution: Leptospirosis, Dengue fever, Chikungunya, Zika. Passing mention of Tick fever, Malaria, West-Nile virus. Effects of deforestation/bushfires/climate change bringing forest habitat in closer proximity to humans.
- Explore what actions health professionals can take to identify protect patients vulnerable to these diseases
- Define steps the health sector can take to become prepared to address shifting geographic burdens of vector-borne and zoonotic disease, including increasing surveillance and early-warning systems and broader interdisciplinary coordination
Session 7: APR 23 - Mental Health
Video Recording | Grabación | Slide Decks & Resources (Dispositivas)
Featuring:
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Dr. Peter Weller, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Trinidad and Tobago
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Nurse Josephine S.C. Williams, Clinical Instructor, The University of the West Indies, Five Islands Campus, Antigua and Barbuda
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Moderated by: Dr. Kerriann M. Peart, Ph.D., MPH, Associate for Public Health and Psychology, EarthMedic/EarthNurse
Session Learning Objectives:
- Discuss how natural disasters resulting from climate change impact the mental health of a population, specifically in regard to the incidence and prevalence of stress disorders, depression, domestic abuse, violence and aggression, and substance abuse.
- Explore the impact on the mental health of “climate refugees” or those that have been displaced from their home or livelihood from climate related environmental changes such as drought, sea level rise, wildfires or hurricanes. Cite and explore recent examples from the caribbean
- Describe what can be done to mitigate the population mental health consequences of climate change
- Explore the unequal burden of climate related mental health disorders and discuss strategies for targeted interventions in vulnerable populations
Session 8: APR 25 - Health System Resilience in a Changing Climate
Slide Decks & Resources (Dispositivas)
Featuring:
- Dr. Karen Polson-Edwards, Regional Advisor, Climate Change and Health, Pan American Health Organization
- Dr. Nicole Dawkins-Wright, Senior Director, Emergency, Disaster Management and Special Services, Ministry of Health and Wellness in Jamaica
- Moderated by: Mr. Ancil Bonair, MBA HHSM, Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, Trinidad and Tobago
Session Learning Objectives:
- Explain how vulnerability assessments are used to understand individual, community and health system impacts and vulnerabilities, and utilizing knowledge of vulnerability and adaptive capacity to explore challenges faced by small and remote health systems
- Identify how the risks and vulnerabilities to critical healthcare infrastructure, delivery, and supply chains from extreme weather events and other climate impacts can be inventoried
- Explain the comprehensive scope of climate and health surveillance including heath and non-health sector sources, infectious and non-infectious diseases, mortality surveillance, and environmental indices
- Explain /understand the importance of collaboration on information sharing across Departments, Ministries and Agencies to support integrated/joined-up surveillance, and its benefits to the individual agencies
Session 9: APR 30 - Healthcare Sector Mitigation and Adaptation
Slide Decks & Resources (Dispositivas)
Featuring:
- Ms. Antonella Risso, Founder, Ambiente Sano
- Julietta Frederick - Cassius, MSc, BSc, RNCM, Principal Nursing Officer, Primary Health Care (Community Health Services), Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs
- Dr. Judith Harvey, MEng, PhD, CEng, MICE, Civil and Environmental Engineer,Technical Consultant, Smart Healthcare Facilities in the Caribbean Project
- Moderated by: Dr. Danielly Magalhães, PhD, Senior Project Director, GCCHE, Columbia University
Session Learning Objectives:
- Apply the concepts of mitigation and adaptation to the healthcare sector and explore examples of how healthcare systems can perform both
- Identify ways in which health care facilities can become more resilient in the face of increasingly severe and/or frequent climate-related weather extremes by employing the PAHO SMART Hospital program
- Use emergency planning skills to plan for and respond to climate related extreme weather events and disasters, including workforce surge needs and disruption of infrastructure critical to maintaining access to healthcare and emergency services, and distinguish the roles of and interactions between agencies involved in emergency care
- Describe how health professionals can partner with health care institutions, professional organizations, and advocacy groups to reduce health care sector greenhouse gas footprint
Session 10: MAY 2 - Climate Change and Health Equity
Slide Decks & Resources (Dispositivas)
Featuring:
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Dr. Carlos A. Faerron Guzmán, Associate Professor, Global Health, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Associate Director, Planetary Health Alliance (Harvard School of Public Health)
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Ms. Stephanie Cheuk-Alam, MSc, Head of Environmental Inspection at the Bureau for Public Health (BOG), Suriname
- Moderated by: Dr. C James Hospedales, Founder/ Managing Director, EarthMedic/EarthNurse, Public Health Physician
Session Learning Objectives:
- Define climate-health vulnerability, adaptation and climate resilience
- Identify social and environmental determinants of health that make individuals and communities more vulnerable to climate-related health threats (elderly, children, socioeconomically disadvantaged, homeless, immunocompromised patients, patients with chronic medical conditions/ NCDs)
- Describe the concepts of climate justice and environmental justice
- Demonstrate how to supplement theories of collective and transgenerational ethics, and ethical obligations to the natural world with more individual-oriented, present-oriented, and human-centered frameworks of climate and health ethics, justice, and traditional knowledges
Contact: hec2141@columbia.edu, Haley Campbell (she/her)