Addressing Capacity Constraints of Rural Local Health Departments to Support Climate Change Adaptation: Action Is Needed Now

Matthew V. Vo, Kristie L. Ebi, Tania M. Busch Isaksen, Jeremy J. Hess and Nicole A. Errett ()
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Matthew V. Vo: Public Health–Global Health, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Kristie L. Ebi: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
Tania M. Busch Isaksen: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
Jeremy J. Hess: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
Nicole A. Errett: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA 98105, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-6

Abstract: Looming climate change health impacts among rural communities will require a robust health system response. To reduce health inequities and promote climate justice, rural local health departments (LHDs) must be adequately resourced and supported to engage in climate change mitigation and adaptation policy and program development and implementation. In the United States, small local tax bases, overreliance on revenue from fee-based services, and limited federal funding to support climate change and health programming, have left rural LHDs with limited and inflexible human, financial, and political capital to support engagement in local climate change activities. Because of the urgent demands stemming from climate change, additional investments and supports are needed to rapidly build the capacity and capability of rural LHDs. Federal and state approaches to public health funding should consider the unique climate change and health risks of rural communities. Further, cross-jurisdictional shared service arrangements and state-level support to build rural LHDs’ technical capacity, and research on local impacts and culturally appropriate solutions, must be prioritized.

Keywords: climate change; adaptation; public health; practice; rural (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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