To advance health-focused climate change adaptation in the region, Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health, Health Emergency Management BC, and VCH/FH Facilities Management partnered on a three-year Health Canada-funded project (HealthADAPT).
This project included a climate change and health vulnerability and capacity assessment, as well as the creation of a climate change and health adaptation framework. The framework outlines the project partners’ roles in climate change and health adaptation and presents recommendations that correspond to the risks identified in the vulnerability and capacity assessment as well as during engagement with our many collaborators and advisors. This framework is meant to communicate health authority priorities to internal and external audiences, and to enable action planning at the program level within and between each of the four partner organizations.
Recommendations are organized across six pillars:
1. Emergency preparedness and response
2. Risk assessment, epidemiology, and research
3. Communications
4. Leadership and advocacy
5. Health equity
6. Facilities
The framework is focused on the 2022-2026 period in order to align with adaptation planning cycles at the provincial level, and implementation is currently underway.
The full document can be found here:
