BRACE-Illinois Preps State for Climate Change
The Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) made its unceremonious appearance as a Friday-after-Thanksgiving news dump, but the realities of the report did not stay hidden for long. The report calls for immediate action to address the causes of global warming and mitigate its consequences. One of the nine chapters focuses on human health, and researchers at the UIC School of Public Health are already in action addressing the public health effects of climate change.
Elena Grossman is the program manager for BRACE-Illinois, Building Resilience Against Climate Effects, a partnership between the UIC School of Public Health and the Illinois Department of Public Health, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Grossman recently presented on Illinois’ steps toward readiness at the American Public Health Association annual conference in San Diego.
“In Illinois, we’re talking about more frequent and severe heat waves, floods, droughts, worsening air quality, ticks and mosquitoes, and the higher risk of illness from all of these environmental changes,” Grossman said. “The steps we have started to take have brought public health to the radar of those concerned about climate change.”
BRACE-Illinois is working with local health departments around the state to build knowledge and assessments around the health effects of climate change, which in Illinois include heat-related illness, tick- and mosquito-borne diseases like Lyme disease or West Nile virus, respiratory problems from worsening air quality and mold after floods and drinking water contamination after extreme rain events. In particular, BRACE-Illinois is building capacity for local health departments to identify strategies and work with populations most vulnerable to these effects, such as seniors and children.
Grossman says mental health is a growing emphasis in public health preparations for climate change. From the destructive wildfires in California to the devastating hurricanes from the last two years, experiencing an extreme weather event is personally, financially, and emotionally traumatic. Mental health providers even recognized a new condition in 2017 called “Katrina Brain,” 12 years after the hurricane, to acknowledge the health condition of those still experiencing the mental health effects of the storm. While Illinois does not face wildfires or storms as visceral as the Camp Fire or Katrina, Grossman says a simple flood can cause properly loss and damage, financial stress and personal loss that all add up.
“A lot of these health problems aren’t new to us; these are issues we’ve been addressing in public health,” Grossman said. “Climate change is exacerbating them.”
BRACE-Illinois’ collaboration with local health departments is yielding tangible results. During abnormally warm winter months, local health departments are using BRACE techniques to identify and publicize tick risks in forest preserves. Other departments are mapping wells vulnerable to floods and droughts and building databases to better inform zoning and planning commissions on the feasibility of new residential developments.
“Everybody knows someone who has allergies, who might have asthma, who maybe has experienced water in their basement,” Grossman said. “These are all ways that climate change is exacerbating what we do with our everyday lives, and I think it’s really important to point that out.
“This isn’t about glaciers and polar bears anymore, it’s about humans and health, and this affects us personally. We all have a story out there we can share, and it’s important we think about what our story is and how we talk about it.”