HealthADAPT
HealthADAPT is a multi-year capacity-building program managed by Health Canada. The program supports the human health and well-being objectives of the National Adaptation Strategy.
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Goals
The HealthADAPT program helps the health sector prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change. Its objectives are to:
- increase the understanding of climate change impacts on:
- health systems
- the health of people in Canada
- identify communities who are at a higher risk of experiencing negative effects from climate change
- support the development, testing and carrying out of local and regional climate change and health adaptation plans with partners
- monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the climate change health adaptation plans
Funded projects
Following the conclusion of program funding in March 2022, Health Canada had invested approximately $3.5 million in partnership with 10 health authorities across 5 provinces and territories. The funding supported their climate change and health efforts. Each health authority received between $200,000 - $800,000 over 3 three years to address climate-driven health risks.
Figure 1 - Text description
The names of the HealthADAPT partners and their locations are:
- New Brunswick Department of Health located in Fredericton, New Brunswick
- Institut national de santé publique du Québec located in Quebec, Quebec
- Centre intégré de Santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Chaudière-Appalaches located in Sainte-Marie, Quebec
- Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de l'Outaouais located in Gatineau, Quebec
- Northwestern Health Unit located in Kenora, Ontario
- York Region Public Health located in Newmarket, Ontario
- Wellington-Dufferin Guelph Public Health located in Guelph, Ontario/Region of Waterloo Public Health located in Waterloo, Ontario
- First Nations Health Authority located in West Vancouver, British Columbia
- Vancouver Coastal Health located in Vancouver, British Columbia/Fraser Health Authority located in Surrey, British Columbia
- Northwest Territories Department of Health and Social Services located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
The HealthADAPT projects represent the diversity across the country, including Indigenous people, urban, rural and coastal communities, and both official languages. The 10 HealthADAPT partners include:
Northwestern Health Unit
Project title: Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment for Northern Ontario Public Health Units
Funding amount: $260,457
Purpose: Conduct climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessments for each health unit within Northern Ontario on a broad range of issues.
Main output:
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health and Region of Waterloo Public Health
Project title: Climate Change and Health: Assessing vulnerabilities and adaptive capacity in the Region of Waterloo, the City of Guelph, the County of Wellington, and the County of Dufferin.
Funding amount: $286,000
Purpose: Complete a climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessment on a broad range of risks for Waterloo Region, the City of Guelph, the County of Wellington, and the County of Dufferin
Main outputs:
- Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment - Highlight Report
- Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment Report - Full Report
- Climate Science Report
- Climate Change and Health Infographics
- Climate Change Impacts Health
- Extreme Temperatures and Climate Change
- Air Quality and Climate Change
- Climate Change Projections
Available on both public health websites:
- Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health: Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment
- Region of Waterloo Public Health: Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment
Department of Health and Social Services, Government of the Northwest Territories
Project title: Understanding Health Risks from Climate Change in the Northwest Territories and Building Local Capacity for Successful Adaptations
Funding amount: $257,244
Purpose: Conduct a climate change and health vulnerability assessment informed by extensive engagement with communities and Indigenous Peoples, and based on health system needs.
Main outputs:
- Climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessment of the Northwest Territories, Climate change page on the GNWT Department of Health and Social Services
- Climate Change Resiliency and Adaptation Factsheet
- 2030 NWT Climate Change Strategic Framework
- 2030 NWT Climate Change Strategic Framework Action Plan
(Not available – internal working document)
- Department of Health and Social Services Action Plan to support the 2030 NWT Climate Change Strategic Framework and Action Plan
New Brunswick Department of Health
Project title: Adapting to Climate Change in New Brunswick: Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessments with an Urban and Rural Perspective
Funding amount: $217,158
Purpose: Conduct climate change and health vulnerability assessments in 2 pilot communities (urban and rural) and develop health adaptation plans to address priority risks.
Main outputs:
- Tool Box
- Report #1: Understanding Climate Change and Health Implications
- Report #2: New Brunswick HealthADAPT Project-Pilot Community Selection Process
- Report #3: Climate Change and Population Health Vulnerability Baseline Report
- Report #4: Building Adaptive Capacity Report
- Report #5: Climate Change Sensitivity Profiles for New Brunswick Health Council Communities
- Infographic: Adaptive Communities Can Reduce Climate Change Impacts on Health
- Case Study: Physical and mental health impacts of climate change in New Brunswick
- New Brunswick's Climate Change Action Plan Progress Report 2020
Institut national de santé publique du Québec
Project title: Regional climate change vulnerability assessment and design of regional public health climate adaptation plans (VRAC-PARC)
Funding amount: $772,383
Purpose: Conduct a multi-hazard regional assessment of population vulnerability to climate change in each of Québec's health regions; develop a regional public health adaptation plan to the changing climate, including proposals for measures to be implemented by public health, the health network and its regional partners (e.g., municipalities, community organizations) in each of Québec's health regions; strengthen collaboration within and outside of public health and the health and social services network more broadly in order to promote mutuality between regional actions to combat climate change; raise awareness among regional stakeholders of the health effects of the changing climate, as well as the role of the health and social services network in the fight against climate change; and support regional partners to reduce health impacts related to the changing climate, especially those on the most vulnerable populations.
Main outputs:
- Regional Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Design of Regional Public Health Climate Adaptation Plans (VRAC-PARC) (French only)
- Bas-Saint-Laurent Integrated Health and Social Services Center – Climatic changes (French only)
- Hazards affected by climate change: health effects, vulnerabilities and adaptation measures (French only)
- Measures to combat urban heat islands: 2021 update (French only)
- Greening cities for population health
- Adapting to Climate Change in the Québec Health Network: Progress, Facilitating Factors, Barriers and Needs (French only)
Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de l'Outaouais
Project title: Prioritization of climate change adaptation measures for all facilities of the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de l'Outaouais
Funding amount: $423,341
Purpose: Increase CISSS resiliency to the effects of climate change by assessing the vulnerability of its health infrastructures and procedures during emergency situations, and identify and prioritize adaptation measures to address them.
Main outputs:
Project information available on CISSSOFIL (French only)
- Strategic Action Plan - adaptation measures and recommendations (French only)
- Our health and our environment in the Outaouais – Fact sheet on extreme heat (French only)
(Not available – internal working document)
- Vulnerability and adaptation assessment of the built environment and emergency procedures of CISSS de l'Outaouais
Centre intégré de Santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Chaudière-Appalaches
Project title: Assessment and support of the capacity of health systems to prevent and limit negative impacts on the mental health and psychosocial well-being of individuals and populations exposed to extreme climate events (ECEs)
Funding amount: $324,900
Purpose: Assess and support the health systems capacity of 2 CISSS pilot regions (Chaudière-Appalaches and Bas-Saint-Laurent) to prevent the negative impacts on mental health and psychosocial well-being of populations exposed to extreme climate events.
Main outputs:
- Summary sheet of the results of data collection on floods (French only)
- Fact sheet – Study of needs, challenges and strengths in the Chaudière-Appalaches region during major floods (French only)
- Atlas of the vulnerability of the Quebec population to climatic hazards (French only)
- Toolkits to reduce the psychosocial impacts of populations affected by extreme weather events (French only)
- UQAR article: Managing the risks of climate change in mental health, from a reactive to preventive approach (French only)
- Heat waves: Studies of psychosocial impacts and adaptation measures in Chaudière-Appalaches (French only)
- Mapping the psychosocial index of climate change (French only)
- Briefing note to decision-makers: Extreme weather events will increase
(Not available – internal working document)
- Adaptation plan to reduce the impacts of climate change on mental health (For information, contact CIRUSSS@uqar.ca)
First Nations Health Authority
Project title: We All Take Care of the Harvest: Safe and Secure Harvesting of Marine Foods in the Context of Climate Change
Funding amount: $366,038
Purpose: Assess climate change impacts on Indigenous marine food safety and vulnerability of BC Coastal First Nations to develop local and Indigenous specific adaptation strategies.
Main outputs:
- FNHA WATCH – includes newsletters, digital stories, toxic shellfish bulletins (examples), and public-facing development evaluation documents such as gathering and event summaries
- FNHA Indigenous Climate Health Action Program
- WATCH 2021 Gathering Summary
York Region Public Health
Project title: Bridging the Gap: Engaging York Region Residents and Stakeholders to Build Climate-Resilient Communities
Funding amount: $218,047
Purpose: Build off the climate change and health vulnerability assessment to collect information on a broad range of risks from residents, health decision makers, municipalities and other stakeholders in order to guide adaptation planning
Main outputs:
- York Region Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment – Summary Report
- York Region Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment – Full Report
(Not available – internal working documents)
- Report of York Region Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System survey on climate change knowledge, attitudes and practices
- Report of climate change and health stakeholder engagement survey
Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health Authority
Project title: Together We Can: Population Health-Based Integrated Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Planning for Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health Authority
Funding amount: $411,131
Purpose: Complete an integrated health and climate change vulnerability assessment to develop a Climate Change and Health Adaptation Strategic Plan to ensure health care facilities are climate resilient.
Main outputs:
- Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Capacity Summary Report
- Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment Full report
- Climate Change and Health Adaptation Framework
- Infographic: Creating a healthy, low-carbon, climate-resilient future
Community of practice
In addition, HealthADAPT provides support to health authorities across the country through a community of practice (CoP), found on the GCcollab online sharing portal. This CoP is a national network where health partners collaborate and share best practices on climate change and health. It includes both:
- funded recipients
- other health partners across Canada
Experts from Health Canada and other organizations give:
- technical guidance
- support based on capacity gaps and needs
If you are a health partner interested in joining the HealthADAPT group on GCcollab, email us at climate.health.adaptation-adaptation.climat.sante@hc-sc.gc.ca.
Resources
As part of the support provided to HealthADAPT funding recipients and the CoP, Health Canada has developed guidance documents with key resources, tools and information on climate change and health that can guide project work. These include:
Overview: This report provides vulnerability and adaptation assessment guidance tools along with examples of completed Canadian assessment studies.
Purpose: This resource guide presents tools and information that can help inform the development of rigorous and participatory vulnerability and adaptation assessments from local to national levels in Canada.
Overview: This workbook provides step-by-step information on how to conduct a climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessment in a manner that facilitates the inclusion of key partners from outside the health sector while maintaining a rigorous assessment process.
Purpose: This workbook helps develop capacity among Canadian health authorities to assess and adapt to the health impacts of climate change. The workbook also has fillable templates, which can be used as part of the assessment process or to help facilitate data gathering.
The workbook is also available in MS Word. To obtain a copy, please send a request to: climate.health.adaptation-adaptation.climat.sante@hc-sc.gc.ca.
Contact us
By email: climate.health.adaptation-adaptation.climat.sante@hc-sc.gc.ca
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