Celebrating
Earth Day 2022
The
Biden-Harris Administration is celebrating Earth Day by focusing on its
theme, “invest in our planet”, and is committed to addressing climate
change, advancing health equity and pursuing environmental justice -
which all depends on a healthy, clean planet. The following is a
snapshot of various Earth Day activities the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, its new Office of Climate Change and Health Equity
and other divisions are coordinating as part of a commitment to
building a healthier, more climate-resilient future.
“There
is an urgent need to act now, and HHS is stepping up to deliver. From
releasing $385M in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
funds to introducing a pledge initiative that will connect public and
private healthcare stakeholders to reduce emissions, we will use every
tool in our toolbox to ensure a healthier future for all,” said HHS
Secretary Xavier Becerra.
“History
will judge us for the actions or inactions that we take today. I am
proud to work for an administration that is choosing to take action,
and choosing to prioritize climate and health on Earth Day, and every
day,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel
Levine.
The
following is a short overview of some of the Department’s efforts
surrounding Earth Day 2022.
Assistance
and Tools to Address Climate Impacts
- Announced the release of $385M in Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds, which helps keep
families safe and healthy through initiatives that assist families
with energy costs. [ACF]
- Launched the LIHEAP Heat Stress Geographic Information
System (GIS) Dashboard that provides information
on the progression of extreme heat over time, the health impacts
of extreme heat, and visualizations on how LIHEAP is able to
alleviate extreme heat stress for vulnerable populations, among
other information/tools. The dashboard provides high-quality,
accessible, and timely information for our grant recipients and
partners to help them determine how best to utilize LIHEAP and
other resources to help promote health and wellbeing for vulnerable
populations. [ACF]
- Published an Office of Community Services Earth Day
webpage that has information on the Dashboard,
Earth Day one pagers for LIHEAP, the Low-Income Household Water
Assistance Program (LIHWAP), and the Rural Community Development
program, and videos on LIHEAP and LIHWAP, and a social media
toolkit that can be used to promote the programs and underscore
their impact. [ACF]
- Issued a new AHRQ Healthcare
Cost and Utilization Project data brief, “Emergency Department Visits for Diagnoses
Directly Indicating Heat Exposure: Variation Across Counties in
the United States, 2016 – 2020” that quantifies wide
state variations in heat-related emergency department visits due
to extreme heat exposure. The brief also showed rural counties
were more likely than urban counties to have higher rates of ED
visits related to heat exposure. [AHRQ]
- Issued a new AHRQ Views
blog post “Earth Day at AHRQ: Celebrating Hope through
Action” by Agency Deputy Director David Meyers, M.D.,
and Social Science Analyst Brent Sandmeyer, M.P.H. [AHRQ]
- Hosted the HHS Earth Day 2022 Speaker Series with
climate change experts from across the federal government to discuss
the basics of climate change, climate science, how climate change
impacts health, and how the Office of Climate Change and Health
Equity (OCCHE) is coordinating climate and health equity efforts
across the Department. [OCCHE and ASA]
Healthcare
Sector Resilience and Decarbonization
- Issued a new Pledge Initiative, in
partnership with the White House, as a call to action for
health care stakeholders to address climate change, including
pledges by private sector health systems and other organizations
to reduce greenhouse gases. [OCCHE]
- Published a New England
Journal of Medicine Perspective “After COP26 — Putting Health and Equity at
the Center of the Climate Movement.”
[OCCHE]
- Released a request for information in
the CMS FY 2023 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System
(IPPS) and Long Term Care Hospitals (LTCH PPS) Proposed
Rule seeking input on how health care providers can more
effectively respond to climate risks and reduce their emissions
and how HHS can support their efforts. [CMS]
Mental
Health and Climate Change
Environmental
Justice
Environmental
Health Initiatives and Research
- Environmental Health
Perspectives (EHP),
a leading monthly journal of environmental health research and
news published with support from the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences, part of NIH, is celebrating its 50th anniversary on
Earth Day, April 22, 2022. The journal has contributed
significantly to public health over the past five decades. We are
excited to honor key moments that established EHP’s leadership in
environmental health research and scholarly publishing.
(NIEHS)
- Aubrey K. Miller,
senior medical advisor to the director of the National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), will present a keynote
at 12:00 pm ET: "Applied Science to Address the Health
Impacts of Disasters and Climate Change: Challenges and
Opportunities” as part of the 2022 John P. Wyatt, M.D.
Environment and Health Symposium at the University of Kentucky on
Earth Day, April 22, 2022. (NIEHS)
- Promoted the HHS Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDC)
Innovator Award Competition: Innovative Methods to Address the
Impact of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals on Black or African
American Women. The competition aims to identify and
fund programs that demonstrate effectiveness, sustainability, and
the ability to replicate and/or expand interventions that address
gaps in knowledge and provide solutions to reduce EDC exposure
risk for Black or African American women. [OWH]
Digital
Medicare Resources
- Promoted the “Go
Digital” theme on the Medicare.gov homepage – to reduce waste and
receive real-time updates -including a blog and video with information and instructions on how to sign
up for the digital Medicare handbook. [CMS]
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