Public Health Response To Climate Change

Task

1. Choose an organisation for which you will write a position statement on climate change and health. This can be an organisation that you work for, any relevant health-related organisation, or a fictitious organisation.  Note, the organisation must not already have a position statement on climate change and health.
2. Describe the organisation to provide a context (300 words maximum) 
   • The organisation's purpose
   • Whether the organisation is a government or non-government organisation
   • Where the organisation is situated (location – country and location of its headquarters)
   • Who the organisation services – eg if it is a membership organisation, who are its members; if it provides health services, who does it provide services to?
   • The organisation's size – approximate number of staff or members.
3. Write a position statement on climate change and health for the organisation. 

Organisational Context

Community Health Institute of Virginia (CHIV) is a community health organisation engaged in providing person-centred, community based and holistic healthcare interventions to the patient population. CHIV is a non-government organisation established with the sole objective of administering equitable healthcare services to all sections of society. The organisation is located in West Virginia across the Appalachian region in the United States. The organisation serves individuals of all age groups and provides special privileges to the impoverished and underprivileged sections of the society. CHIV collaborates with the World Health Organization, and that provides special healthcare grants during the epidemic and pandemic outbreaks.CHIV organises research interventions in the context of evaluating the influence of climate change on the pattern of health and wellness of individuals pertaining to various age groups. The organisation believes in practicing mitigating strategies for controlling the adverse influence of climate changes across the community environment. Healthcare campaigns by CHIV focus on developing protective interventions for safeguarding the wellness of people in the episodes of influenza, Ebola and plague outbreaks. The organisation acquires special measures for safeguarding the health of individuals from various contagious illnesses that arise during the climatic variations in the absence of protective healthcare strategies across the affected regions. CHIV also practices various 'climate change mitigation' strategies for preventing the onset and establishment of chronic conditions that adversely influence the health and wellness of elderly individuals across the community environment. The organisation actively explores the preventive and prophylactic interventions warranted for reducing the genetic predisposition of individuals towards the acquisition of health adversities under the influence of climate change. The active members of CHIV are the registered nurses, clinical researchers, licensed physicians, community health workers, paramedics, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and dentists. The total strength of the organisation’s staff is 1900 members who remain actively engaged in the effective enhancement of health and wellness of the residents of West Virginia. 

Position Statement

Preamble

The Community Health Institute of Virginia recognises climate change as the greatest influential factor in the lives of individuals across the community environment. Most importantly, the organisation considers the individuals of older age groups, children and adolescents and underprivileged sections of society as the preliminary victims of environmental change. Therefore, CHIV administers healthcare interventions for these focus groups along with other individuals in the context of safeguarding their health and wellness under adverse climatic conditions. 

Background

Evidence-based research literature advocates the adverse influence of environmental toxins on the respiratory, cardiovascular and mental health conditions of the predisposed individuals (1). Furthermore, the susceptibility of individuals towards the acquisition of adverse health conditions under environmental changes increases proportionately with age and the pattern of urbanisation. The significant environmental threats to the health of elderly individuals and children are related to energy production by the industrial sector that leads to the increased CO2 accumulation in the environment (2). The elevated CO2 production leads to the establishment of toxicity that potentially disrupts the respiratory condition of the predisposed children as well as elderly individuals. The emission of greenhouse gases because of the combustion of fossil fuel facilitates the establishment of chronic and life-threatening conditions among individuals across the community environment (3). The adverse health effects of global warming on the lives of the affected individuals attribute to the sustained alterations in disease patterns, the establishment of food and water-related diseases and epidemic conditions due to the weather changing episodes (3).