Hosted by Public Health Ontario
Climate change is having serious impacts on health and health systems in Canada. In 2021, we saw the devastating effects of climate change with the heat dome in Western North America, resulting in 619 deaths in British Columbia. There is a need to rapidly scale up our health adaptation efforts, especially considering that the frequency and intensity of many of these deadly climate events are projected to increase because of rising global temperatures. Many health authorities in Canada are taking actions to prepare for climate change through health assessments, early warning systems, training and education of staff and public education and outreach. This presentation will discuss recent guidance developed by the World Health Organization for measuring the climate resilience of health systems and practical application considerations in the Canadian context.
Intended audience: Public health officials, health care system planners, health service providers, public health leadership (MOH/AMOH), Ministry of Health employees in strategic policy and health system emergency planning, and researchers