Building resilience to heat and air quality in santa clara county - the county of santa clara (CSC) seeks to advance the centers for disease control and prevention?S building resilience against…

Building resilience to heat and air quality in santa clara county - the county of santa clara (CSC) seeks to advance the centers for disease control and prevention?S building resilience against climate effects (BRACE) initiative by partnering internally with county departments and externally with vulnerable communities to build capacity for climate resilience. In partnership with local community-based organizations, the CSC also plans to CO-design and enact climate adaptations and communications in response to adverse climate-related health outcomes resulting from exposure to extreme heat events and impaired air quality in santa clara county (SCC).SCC is the 6TH largest county in california, with a population of approximately 1,927,852. The county?S racial/ethnic composition is 30.4% white, 37.6% asian, 25.0% hispanic, 2.4% african american, 0.2% native american, and 3.7% two or more races. The cities of morgan hill, gilroy, and unincorporated areas of SAN martin, most often referred to as south county, are the most likely region in SCC to experience the most significant number of high-heat days coupled with the least resources and living conditions to support health and well-being. Recognizing that social determinants of health intersect with climate change to create health inequities, the CSC will focus BRACE activities initially on priority populations residing within south county that are most vulnerable to climate-related adverse health outcome such as young children; older adults; low-income persons living in inadequate housing; pregnant women; outdoor workers; unhoused; persons with disabilities; and those with asthma, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions. In future years, the CSC will build on the success of the south county-focused activities to expand and scale climate adaption activities to other priority geographic areas and among other populations who are at risk for adverse health outcomes related to climate-related events. This project will build upon lessons learned from the past and PR esent covid-19 response and will leverage and expand existing partnerships to address climate impacts in SCC. The BRACE team will be CO-led by the CSC public health department and the office of sustainability to: 1) empower county employees across all departments to serve as practitioners and champions for sustainability and climate change; 2) CO-develop and distribute resilience kits that protect human health from exposure to extreme heat events and impaired air quality; 3) develop cross-systems, multilingual, culturally relevant media communications about cooling centers and other climate impact resources available in SCC; 4) partner with trusted CBO?S to CO-develop and implement a climate and health resilience leadership academy; 5) expand targeted messaging around resiliency strategies; 6) create new, accessible cooling centers and multi-disciplinary partnerships that leverage the resources and communication channels of cbos, county departments, and municipalities in areas at greatest risk for climate impacts; 7) monitor surveillance data, informing adaption action plans through qualitative evaluation strategies throughout the project; and 8) increase cross-collaboration, community engagement, and resource sharing between county departments and cbos to ensure that adaptation activities are effective. The CSC is committed to addressing societal challenges posed by a changing climate and racial inequities, building community capacity, and leveraging resources to enable resiliency and healing among the most vulnerable communities in SCC.