Integrating Extreme Weather Impacts into a Community Health Assessment for Rural Communities

PROJECT SUMMARY In the US, variability in weather patterns are creating new health risks and exacerbating existing health disparities in some communities across the Nation. Local health departments and health care systems are front line defenders of the population’s health and play a key role in a community’s resilience to extreme weather. Yet weather-related health risks are not currently prioritized in local or regional community health assessment efforts, particularly in rural areas like Southern Appalachia. Partnerships between hospital, public health, community members, and environmental health scientists are often underutilized channels in examining the health impact of extreme weather as an environmental determinant that works independently and jointly with other social determinants to amplify local health risks. The overarching goal of this community-driven project is to integrate extreme weather impacts into a regional health assessment framework to enhance the capacity of local public health systems to protect the health of rural communities. We will achieve the following specific aims: Aim 1. Integrate extreme weather data into the regional community health assessment and needs process; Aim 2. Engage regional hospitals and public health departments in the identification of local environmental and health priorities; and Aim 3. Co-design targeted communications training for health professions and public health messaging on regional weather and environmental-related health impacts. Our expected outcomes will include the: (1) integration of extreme weather data into a regional community health assessment planning process; (2) identification intrinsic rural community health networks that will inspire commitment and foster capacity for community-wide participation in resilience planning; and (3) targeted communication trainings and public health messaging to advance awareness on extreme weather impacts in the region. This work has the potential to be transformative to the field by providing a public health model for integrating extreme weather impacts in a regional community health assessment process for rural communities. The long-term goal is to advance a national model that demonstrates the identification, prioritization, and implementation strategies to help communities address extreme weather impacts on health. This project will leverage WNC Health Impact, a partnership and coordinated process in existence for over a decade, to engage hospitals, public health agencies, and key regional partners in a 16-county region in rural Appalachia around a vision of improved community health. Results will guide the development of local and regional strategies to monitor and reduce the adverse health effects from extreme weather events.