Being nimble and responsive is a goal of the Academy/DPHA, so when we learned of the Climate + Health Conference presented in June of this year, we became engaged in the dialogue. The State’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control sponsored the conference, and to say that it was a success is an understatement. During the afternoon session, attendees were challenged to respond based on what we had learned about the connections between climate and health. This is when the concept of this issue, published a scant 4 months later, was born.
Ironically and sadly, the timing of this issue is coincident to the stunning, worldwide, natural disasters and unusual weather that have occurred in recent weeks. Hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, unseasonable cold and early snows. We would be remiss if we did not mention earthquakes that affected our neighbors in Mexico – but that is not (strictly speaking) climate or weather. These are all tragedies, and as humans, we share in the frustration, pain, and prayer that accompanies times and circumstances such as these. Since this was originally written, the impact of the devastating hurricanes (Maria and Irma) on Puerto Rico is still unfolding. The scope of the disaster is unprecedented for this island nation, already beleaguered by a downturn in the economic climate.
We ask for your support and outreach to assist our fellow Puerto Rican Americans. You can provide financial resources to a variety of organizations, including Unidos por Puerto Rico/United for Puerto Rico at: http://unidosporpuertorico.com/en/
As public health professionals and advocates, we endeavor to understand, prepare for, and respond to the relationship between climate and population health. There is essentially no disagreement about the reality of global warming and climate change. The main areas of concern should be minimizing and mitigating the effects so that we may face fewer disaster relief efforts in the future.
Article 1. In this Issue: Climate and Health
Omar A. Khan, MD, MHS and Timothy E. Gibbs, MPH
Article 2. Guest Editors: Climate and Health
Kerri Yandrich, MS and Jennifer de Mooy
Article 3. Letter from the Lieutenant Governor
Bethany Hall-Long, PhD, RNC, FAAN
Article 4. Ozone Pollution in Delaware: How does climate change influence ozone-related health?
Joseph F. Brodie, PhD; Cristina L. Archer, PhD; Sara A. Rauscher, PhD
Article 5. Safeguarding Worker Health and Safety from a Changing Climate: Delaware’s Climate-Ready Workforce Pilot Project
Yoon Kim, PhD; Kerri Yandrich; Jennifer De Mooy; Kendall Starkman
Article 6. Climate Change and Health
Phillip B. Duffy, PhD
Article 7. Health Data for Delaware: the Path Towards Creating Delaware’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network
Tabatha N. Offutt-Powell, DrPH; Mary Parkaza; Canio Caputo; Richard Perkins, PhD
Article 8. Climate and Health in Maryland: The Maryland Climate Change Health Adaptation Program
Allison Gost, MPH; Rachel Hess-Mutinda, MSW; Clifford Mitchell, MD, MPH, MS; and Amir Sapkota, PhD
Article 9. Climate Change: Vector-Borne Diseases and Their Control; Mosquitoes and Ticks
William H. Meredith, PhD and Stephen C. Eppes, MD
Article 10. Climate Change and Population Health
Alan Greenglass, MD
Article 11. Yellow Fever: From the History and Archives Collection
Kathryn Lenart, MA