July kicked off with a heat wave impacting nearly half of the U.S., continued with flash floods in the South, and is ending with blankets of wildfire smoke in the Midwest and Northeast. When extreme weather events become more extreme, but less unusual, we know it’s time to pay attention and be prepared.
Keep reading for:
🎧 Three new podcast episodes featuring our commissioners
💡How everyone has a role to play in building extreme weather resilience
🌡️ Free resources with strategies to build heat safety in the workplace, plus extra toolkits focused on air quality and mental health
📣 Opportunities to share your perspective through HAA’s research panel
👀 Climate and health issues in the news
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COMMISSION UPDATES
Our Members in Action
Heat Is Killing Us. Is Air Conditioning the Only Fix?
As heat domes monopolize July, so do conversations about air conditioning. Commissioner Jane Gilbert joined CBC Listen’s What on Earth podcast to discuss air conditioning inequity, emissions, and short versus long-term gain.
Jane Gilbert Chief Heat Ambassador Atlantic Council
Protecting Workers Before, During, and After Extreme Weather
David Leathers joins Tracy Watts on Mercer's podcast, "The Beneficial Workplace." They discuss how extreme weather events, like heat, floods, and wildfires, are impacting workers' physical, mental, and financial health. Listen to the episode for strategies employers can take to increase their workforce resilience.
Tracy Watts Senior Partner, National Leader for U.S. Health Policy Mercer
David Leathers Director, Extreme Weather + Work Health Action Alliance
Extreme Weather Explained: Psychological First Aid and the Path to Recovery
In her latest podcast episode, Commissioner Dr. Lisa Patel dives into mental health and the invisible damage survivors carry after a disaster. Joined by traumatic stress specialist April Naturale, they discuss solutions to reduce the psychological toll of disasters, access basic needs, and connect with services and support systems that lead to long-term recovery.
Lisa Patel, MD, MESc Executive Director Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health
CLIMATE PRESCRIPTION
Yes, And: Reflections on My Year With HAA
In her final article for Climate Prescription, Dr. Topper reflects on a year collaborating with us at HAA. She encourages us to view climate resilience as a collaborative effort that none of us can achieve alone, but in which all can find a role to play.
As extreme heat persists this summer, these two new resources help explain the risks and identify practical actions, from local policy strategies to the added dangers of humidity.
The State and Local Heat Policy Agenda
This month, the Federation of American Scientists launched HeatAgenda.US, housing a comprehensive framework and guide for leaders who want to take action on extreme heat and protect their people through policy.
They envision a heat-safe future by focusing on safe workplaces, homes, schools and child care, and communities. Visit the website to understand which concrete strategies can bring heat safety to your workplace, who is already taking action, and how you can implement them.
Humid Heat: A Growing Health Risk in a Warming Climate
While extreme heat is the most deadly form of extreme weather in the U.S, humidity can make it even worse. High temperatures in conjunction with high humidity make it harder for our bodies to cool down via sweating. Climate Central’s new Climate Shift Index: Humid Heat tool helps you visualize how your area is being affected by humid heat.
Extreme Weather + Work offers free research-backed resources to help leaders across job functions build resilient, weather-ready workforces.
Protecting Against Extreme Heat: Tip Sheets for Employees & Employers: A tip sheet for employers that breaks down the health risks of high temperatures and how they can affect worker health and productivity, including easy-to-follow strategies for implementing a heat stress management program in your workplace.
Protecting Against Unhealthy Air Quality: Tip Sheets for Employees & Employers: A guide to help understand the health risks associated with poor air quality and how they can affect worker health and productivity. Plus, the tip sheet includes easy-to-follow strategies to help employers create an air quality plan for their workplace.
We are looking for leaders who can help inform business decisions about workplace culture, benefits, and policy. Share your expertise, shape industry trends, and get compensated for your valuable time. HR and benefits leaders, environmental health and safety professionals, corporate health and wellness professionals, people and culture leaders, and others are invited to participate.
Want help putting weather readiness strategies into practice? Extreme Weather + Work members get priority access to implementation support, workforce resilience labs, and peer networks. We're building a cross-industry community of leaders who are creating the readiness playbook and shaping the future of workforce resilience in real time. Learn more and request an invitation at the link below.
How To Protect Yourself From Poor Air Quality as Wildfires Burn in Canada
As wildfires burn in Canada, many in the upper Midwest and Northeast face poor air quality. Those with pre-existing conditions like asthma, heart disease, or diabetes must be even more cautious about breathing in wildfire smoke. Experts recommend staying indoors, filtering air inside your home, and monitoring local outdoor air quality. (ABC News)
Heatwaves Raise Hospital Admissions for Mental Health Woes
An international study using 19 years of hospital admissions data finds hospitalizations for mental health issues rise by 3.3% on the day of a heat wave and 5.6% in the eight days after. Those who already have diagnosed anxiety disorders see a 23% increase in hospitalizations. Researchers point to a lack of sleep and increased stress during heat waves fueling these trends. (U.S. News)
COMIC: How Excessive Heat Kills and How To Stay Safe
Why is extreme heat so deadly to humans? Check out this comic from NPR that visually explains how heat makes us feel sick and leads to illness and fatalities, along with tips for prevention. (NPR)
The Health Action Alliance is solely responsible for the content of this email and maintains full editorial control of its resources.
Extreme Weather + Work is an initiative of the Health Action Alliance. We bring together leaders who rarely sit in the same room and connect them with peers across industries, giving them the research and tools they need to support their people before, during, and after extreme weather. Our work is advised by the National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health, a board of experts spanning business, health, climate, and policy.
The Health Action Alliance is the nation's largest employer network advancing public health. We help companies navigate evolving health challenges, strengthen workforce well-being, and partner with public health organizations to build stronger, healthier communities. Founded in 2021 by the Ad Council, Business Roundtable, CDC Foundation, the de Beaumont Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, HAA's network has grown to more than 11,000 employers nationwide, collectively reaching over 50 million employees and their families. We believe good health is good business, and we equip employers with the tools, partnerships, and strategies to deliver on that promise.
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