Together our powerful network will transform the health sector — ensuring it can balance the immediate needs for mitigation, resilience, and equity, while serving as a leader in the broader shift to a just, low-carbon economy.
Climate change is a threat multiplier for all social and environmental factors that contribute to disease and widen inequality.
Health care is at the epicenter of pandemics, climate disasters, and other public health emergencies. These crises highlight the deeply rooted connection between health care, community health, equity, and resilience. These crises individually and collectively have a disproportionate impact on people of color and reveal significant health and socioeconomic disparities within our communities.
Definition: Resilience
Resilience is the ability of communities to thrive amidst acute and chronic climate, economic, and health disruptions within the ecosystems that sustain them.
Our definition includes a combination of climate adaptation and social resilience strategies that focus on:
1. Health care facility resilience
2. Public infrastructure resilience
3. Community health resilience
Alongside mitigation efforts and proactive leadership, all of these dimensions are needed to fully address the current and future impacts of climate change in a holistic, integrated, and effective way.
Our vision for the future
We see a future with healthy people living in equitable, resilient communities on a thriving planet. This is a future in which all communities are prepared for the shocks and stressors of the climate crisis, with uninterrupted access to health services during extreme weather events.
We envision health systems building physical, social, and economic conditions to support community health and well-being, harnessing the enormous economic power and influence of the health care sector to move beyond emergency care toward healing the harm that exists today in the form of ecological degradation, health vulnerabilities, and economic disparities.
To achieve this vision, hospitals must break down internal silos, while building and repairing trust with communities by acting with greater humility, inclusion, and true partner engagement.
![Ambulances that don’t idle offer savings and less emissions](/sites/default/files/styles/1920w/public/2024-03/Driver%20of%20a%20no-idle%20ambulance_Lenox%20Hill_1800x1200.png?itok=C292U0XL)
Partners in promoting health and equity
Our film and story series highlights how hospitals and health systems are working with local nonprofits to implement innovative initiatives and foster conditions that support community health, equity, and resilience.
Featured initiatives
Climate resilience
CLIMATE AND HEALTH
Prepare for climate impacts while working with communities to advance resilience, health, and equity.
Place-based partnerships
RESILIENCE
Facilitate deep, trusting partnerships with community-based organizations to build replicable models for collaborative action.
Market transformation
SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT
Collaborate with manufacturers to drive product innovation and market transformation.
Growing healthy food communities
HEALTHY FOOD
Uplift community health, wealth, and resilience through purchasing and investments.
Leveraging the power of food procurement
HEALTHY FOOD
Invest in sustainable and resilient food economies, support producers, and ensure nutrition for all.