The Extraordinary Steps Health Care Providers Are Taking to Prepare for Climate Change

“When you look at what happened in Hurricane Sandy, some of the hospitals in downtown Manhattan were the first to go down,” said Gary Cohen, president of Health Care Without Harm. “They need to be the last ones. They should be the last buildings standing. But they weren’t designed in any way to address climate change effects.”

The industry hasn’t historically been outspoken on climate change, but the hospital evacuations forced by Katrina, Irene and Sandy — along with warnings of intense heat waves, increased incidences of asthma and allergies, and expanding ranges of disease vectors — have made health care professionals take notice of climate change and how it effects the industry and those who depend on it.

The Extraordinary Steps Health Care Providers Are Taking to Prepare for Climate Change