Schedule

All times are Central Standard Time.

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

1:00pm – 2:30pm	Pre-Conference Workshop Fostering a Climate of Health & Wellbeing: An Anchor Institution’s Approach Saint Paul, Minnesota has become one of the main cities for the BIPOC community. It is a place with flourishing businesses and diverse food where many communities can come together and share their culture with one another. Despite this advantage, Saint Paul has the highest percentage of residents living in poverty. To help address this issue, M Health Fairview has taken an anchor institution’s approach to help develop initiatives and programs to meet the needs of the communities they serve. The mission of an Anchor Institution is to intentionally apply an institution’s long-term, place-based economic power and human capital in partnership with the community to mutually benefit the long-term well-being of both. In this workshop, attendees will learn about M Health Fairview program successes in the areas of food security, immunization, and a community-based cultural brokers program in addition to exploring current trends and disparities in Saint Paul, including how residents are disproportionately impacted by climate change. • John Swanholm, VP of Community Advancement & Foundation, M Health Fairview • Diane Tran, Syst Executive Director of Community Health Equity and Engagement, M Health Fairview • Christina McCoy, Manager of Community Health Equity Initiatives, M Health Fairview • Khashia Yang, Community Collaboration Intern, M Health Fairview Through the generous support of M Health Fairview, we have a limited number of scholarships for community-based organizations who wish to attend the M Health Fairview session. Anyone who registers for either preconference session may attend both sessions. Please contact Anna Schmalzbauer: aschmalzbauer@networkforphl.org and Maddy Kim: mkim@networkforphl.org if you are interested in receiving a scholarship.
2:30pm – 3:00pm	Break
3:00pm – 5:00pm	Pre-Conference Workshop-GLISA Pulling It All Together: Climate Science, Public Health Law, and Equity for Great Lakes Communities This pre-conference workshop will bring together the strands of the climate and health equity summit, all with a focus on the Great Lakes Region. In an engaging mixture of prepared presentations, question and answer, and group discussion, participants will have opportunities to increase their knowledge, develop their skills, and strengthen their abilities at the intersection of climate change, human health, racial equity, and law and policy. Participants will gain a high-level overview of climate trends and impacts for the Great Lakes Region, along with some of the likely impacts on human health. Next, participants will discuss aspects of community engagement and participation in governmental decision-making, including tools and practices to serve health departments and community-based organizations in building support for climate solutions. We will conclude with a discussion of knowledge and skills related to law and policy that can contribute to lasting climate solutions rooted in health equity. • Omar Gates, M.S., Climatologist for the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA) at University of Michigan • April  Shaw, Ph.D., J.D.,  Senior Staff Attorney, Network for Public Health Law—Northern Region • Jill Krueger, J.D., Region Director, Network for Public Health Law—Northern Region This session will focus on the Great Lakes Region, and through the generous support of Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA) at the University of Michigan, registration is complimentary for residents of Great Lakes States and Canadian provinces (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin in the U.S., and the Province of Ontario in Canada). People from outside the Great Lakes are welcome to participate as well. Anyone who registers for either preconference session may attend both sessions. Please contact Anna Schmalzbauer: aschmalzbauer@networkforphl.org and Maddy Kim: mkim@networkforphl.org if you are interested in receiving a scholarship
5:00pm – 7:00pm	Happy Hour

Thursday, October 13, 2022

8:00am – 9:00am	Breakfast
9:00am – 10:30am	Welcome and Opening Keynote A Green Heart for Healthy Communities Dr. Natasha DeJarnett, Assistant Professor of Environmental Medicine, University of Louisville Dr. DeJarnett will weave together insights about how increasing access to green space can ameliorate the negative human health impacts of climate change, and improve both physical and mental health.
10:30am – 11:00am	Break
11:00am – 12:30pm	Concurrent Sessions 1 Local Governments and Hospitals Building Resilient Communities Together  This session will include a discussion of a new regional collaboration among local South Florida governments and the healthcare industry. The collaboration’s goal is to help ensure that stakeholders experience both the climate change public health effects and the mitigation and adaption initiatives equitably. The panel will also discuss legislative and policy tools to help advance equitable public health goals related to climate change. • Catherine Toms, senior advisor for climate and health, Health Care Without Harm • Megan Houston, resilience director, Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners • Jason Liechty, senior environmental project coordinator, Broward County • Karina Castillo, resilience coordinator for community engagement and outreach, Miami Dade County Working Together to Support Health Equity: Real World Examples This session will provide concrete examples of how to uplift health equity for populations particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Speakers will discuss how to help populations vulnerable to extreme heat through the use of cooling and resilience centers; how existing disparities put LGBTQ communities at increased risk of climate-related harm with policy recommendations for minimizing these impacts; and lessons learned from a survey on how well mental health professionals are equipped to address mental health impacts of climate change and a symposium on the survey results. • Joe Tabor, epidemiologist, Pima County Health Department • Heather Walter-McCabe, associate professor, Wayne State University • Brenda Hoppe, climate resilience researcher, University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership Public Health, Racial Equity, and Connecting with Communities While a changing climate will affect everyone, not everyone will experience its impacts in the same way. Speakers in this session will discuss frameworks to center racial health equity in climate and health initiatives. Attendees will gain insight into how local health departments can use a justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion framework in climate resilience initiatives; why adopting a cultural safety model in emergency planning is essential to securing the health of communities of color; and policy solutions for addressing food insecurity among BIPOC communities. The session will also include examples of how to meaningfully engage and support frontline communities impacted by climate change. • Katherine Catalano, Deputy Director, Center for Climate Healthy and Equity, APHA • April Shaw, Senior Staff Attorney, Network for Public Health Law Northern Region Office • Gina Plato-Nino, Staff Attorney, Coalition for Healthy Greater Worchester • Casey Burns, Director, Coalition for Healthy Greater Worchester
12:30pm – 2:00pm	Networking Lunch
2:00pm – 3:30pm	Concurrent Sessions 2 Utilizing Public Health and Community Lawyering Practices to Support Community-Based Disaster Recovery Groups  In this session, disaster attorneys and community lawyers will discuss their experiences supporting community-based organizations, including long term recovery groups and faith-based organizations, with disaster recovery. Participants will learn about disaster recovery and the role of public health practitioners and community lawyers within this area. • Lesley Albritton, Staff Attorney, Legal Aid of NC • Erin Bennett, Staff Attorney, Legal Aid of NC   High Level Policy Opportunities to Advance Health Equity in State and Federal Level Climate Actions and Policies State and federal agencies are uniquely positioned to promote health equity in high level initiatives addressing climate change. This session will include a discussion of some of these initiatives and how they provide opportunities to develop appropriate responses to the challenges posed by the climate crisis. Some examples include insights gained from the failures of the COVID-19 response and how they might be applied to climate action; state efforts to implement climate funding in a way that supports racial equity; how states are addressing health equity in their climate adaptation efforts; and an analysis of the recent case West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. • Lance Gable, Professor of Law, Wayne State University Law School • Linda Helland, Climate Change and Health Equity Section Manager, California Department of Public Health • Anthony Moulton, Senior Fellow, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota  • Erica White, Staff Attorney, Network for Public Health Law  Equitable Electrification in Public Housing  This session will lay the groundwork for understanding how public housing works and outline the mandates that require HUD to provide safe, healthy, affordable housing for its residents. Additionally, presenters will explain the specific program changes and regulatory revisions that could be implemented to ensure that electrification of housing is accessible to all. • Danielle Replogle, Staff Attorney, Public Health Law Center • Manaire Vaughn, Staff Attorney, Public Health Law Center • Jamie Long, Staff Attorney, Public Health Law Center
3:30pm – 4:00pm	Break
4:00pm – 5:00pm	Afternoon Session Sharing the Successes and Failures of Starting a Justice-Focused Climate & Health Program The Washington State Department of Health’s climate and health program manager and climate justice coordinator will share the program’s success stories and failures since its formation in late 2019, includinghow it was formed and how it operates within a broader policy landscape to ensure that health is at the climate policy table. This session will be of particular interest to those who are starting or building upon their climate and health-focused work. • Elise Rasmussen, Environmental Justice Coordinator, Washington State Department of Health • Rad Cunningham, Senior Epidemiologist, Washington State Department of Health
5:30pm – 7:30pm	Reception

Friday, October 14, 2022

8:00am – 9:00am	Breakfast
9:00am – 10:30am	Concurrent Sessions 3 From the Bedside to the Frontlines: Lessons from Organizing Health Professionals for Climate Justice  This session will focus on three areas of community organizing and advocacy work and dive into the challenges and possibilities experienced in engaging health professionals and in striving to support the priorities of BIPOC communities. • Brenna Doheny, Executive Director, Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate • Om Beall, Program Manager, Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate • Kathleen Schuler, Policy Director, Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate Addressing Basic Needs: Legal and Policy Barriers and Opportunities The impacts of climate change can be felt in all facets of life and actions to promote environmental justice must acknowledge the racial and economic disparities among communities bearing disproportionate environmental costs. This session will include a discussion of the impact of historical racism on environmental hazards and how climate initiatives can better address these inequities. • Karri B Atwood, Director of Legal Services, Virginia Department of Health • Helga Garza, Executive Director, Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network • Katrina Morrison, Director of Policy, Advocacy, & Outreach, The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness
10:30am – 10:45am	Break
10:45am – 12:00pm	Closing Session Local Health Department Tools and Implementation for Equity and Climate Justice Increasingly, local health departments are finding ways to address the climate impacts felt within their communities through a public health and equity lens. Local health departments vary in terms of available tools and resources to dedicate to climate justice, but they can play a key role in promoting local climate resilience through community-centered policy solutions. This large group session will include a discussion of the strategies and progress made by local health departments in different stages of equity and climate justice initiatives. • Judy Olsen, Program Manager, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department • Aniella Fignon, Public Health Program Associate, Norwalk Health Department  • Jennie McAdams, Sustainability Supervisor, Franklin County Public Health