The connection between climate change and health is the driver for Gippsland Primary Health Network’s Gippsland Climate Change Adaption Strategy which highlights the importance of the organisation taking a leadership role on the issue.
The paper endorses world, national, state and local climate change reports which argue the health impacts of climate change are “overwhelmingly negative” and that reducing emissions of greenhouse gases will improve health outcomes, particularly if air pollution is reduced.
Research shows extreme heat exacerbates pollution, pollen and other airborne allergen levels which negatively impact on cardiovascular and respiratory disease, trigger asthma and contribute to deaths in the elderly population.
Gippsland PHN Acting Chief Executive Officer, Angela Jacob, said the organisation was challenged by its Community Advisory Committee to develop a position statement.
“The committee understood the connection between climate change and health, and the importance for Gippsland PHN to have a leadership role in adaptation,” Mrs. Jacob said.
“Extreme weather events and natural disasters driven by climate change will increasingly define the work of PHNs as they are recognised as the logical coordinators of primary care emergency response activities in their regions.”
The comprehensive strategy sets out a Climate Change Action Plan, divided into actions relating to leadership, mitigation and resilience with objectives and actions aligned to Gippsland PHN’s strategic plan.
Read the full media release here. Media release – Climate Change Adaption Strategy
Read the Climate Change Adaption Strategy here.
