Webinar: Climate change, public health and equity
This webinar was cohosted by the OPHA/alPHa Health Equity Workgroup, the OPHA Environmental Health Workgroup and the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health (NCCDH).
This webinar took place in English. Click here to acces the recording (English only).
Climate change has a dramatic and real effect on population health. The risks and impact of climate change do not affect all segments of the population equally. Some groups that are already at a disadvantage due to structural inequities, such as those living with low income and inadequate housing, are more vulnerable and may have fewer resources to respond to the negative impacts of climate change on their physical and social environments.
For the same systemic reasons, marginalized populations are more likely to already have poorer health, thereby experiencing more severe negative health effects and weakened ability to recover from events related to climate change.
Climate change guide for local health departments
The goal of this webinar is to bring a public health voice to the issue of climate change, focusing particularly on the issue’s relationship to health equity at the local public health level. A recent document has been released through the Public Health Institute Center for Climate Change and Health and the American Public Health Association titled Climate change, health, and equity: A guide for local health departments.
This guide provides an overview of how climate change influences health, the equity perspective of specific climate change impacts, and core public health actions at the local level that integrate addressing climate change and population health inequities.
Listeners will learn about
- describing the effects of climate change on population health and health inequities;
- relating how existing public health programs can impact and be impacted by climate change; and
- identifying multisectoral approaches and core public health functions that relate to addressing health inequities impacted by climate change.
Speakers
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| Dianne Oickle, Knowledge Translation Specialist, NCCDH |
Linda Rudolph, Director, Public Health Institute Center for Climate Change and Health |
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| Monika Dutt, Medical Officer of Health and CEO, Timiskaming Health Unit |
Helen Doyle, Chair, Ontario Public Health Association's Environmental Health Work Group |
Resources
Click here to access the webinar (English only).
- Presenters:
- Linda Rudolph, Monika Dutt, Helen Doyle,
- Dianne Oickle
Dianne Oickle, MSc, BSc
Knowledge Translation Specialist
Dianne is a dietitian with over 15 years’ experience working in public health in Ontario focused on reproductive and child health in a mostly rural setting with many diverse clients. Part of her work involved development of practice guidelines for health professionals, train-the-trainer initiatives, public presentations, educational resource development, working with the media, community coalition and network support, writing for the public and professionals, and program planning, implementation, and evaluation. She has taught university nutrition courses, worked with the provincial network supporting and advocating for dietitians in public health practice, and precepted over 20 dietetics and other students. Dianne earned her BSc in Nutrition and Consumer Studies (now Human Nutrition) at St. Francis Xavier University, and her MSc in Nutrition from the University of Saskatchewan.
doickle@stfx.ca