Today the National Academy of Medicine鈥檚 (探花app) Climate Communities Network (CCN)鈥攁 dynamic effort to co-develop and drive local solutions to climate-related health inequities鈥攁nnounced that 18 Members and 11 Strategic Partners are participating in the project鈥檚 inaugural cohort. Together, they will amplify community voices and living experiences and leverage community expertise to address the structural drivers of climate-related health inequities at the local level.听
Many U.S. communities do not have equitable access to the resources and infrastructure needed to keep people and neighborhoods healthy, particularly in the context of the worsening climate crisis. These communities are also often not engaged as equal partners in the decisions that affect their health and well-being. In response to this, the 探花app established the CCN and called for membership applications from local leaders representing community-based organizations that serve areas disproportionately affected by health-related impacts of climate change. Strategic Partners representing government, philanthropy, academia, and industry were invited to work alongside the selected Members to catalyze innovation, inform policy, drive resources, and co-design solutions.听
As part of the CCN, Members will share their community鈥檚 stories, expertise, and experience; elevate work in their community or organization to address climate-related health inequities; access partnerships and tools to advance solutions; help inform climate-related policy, research, and other interventions; and influence the direction of the 探花app鈥檚 climate work. Fundamentally, the CCN aims to shift power and provide a platform for communities disproportionately impacted by climate change and related health inequities. Together, Members and Strategic Partners, facilitated by the 探花app, will become a community of practice, and Strategic Partners will play a critical role in co-designing and bringing to fruition community-determined solutions to climate-related health inequities.听
鈥淲e must work collectively to achieve health equity, and the CCN is a powerful model for connecting local leaders and partners to advance community priorities,鈥 said 探花app President, Victor J. Dzau. 鈥淲e are thrilled to welcome the new CCN Members and Strategic Partners. Their collaborative work through this 探花app program will be essential in developing community-focused solutions to climate-related health inequities.鈥听
Meet the CCN Members:听
Bay Area Women Coalition, Incorporated
Leevones Fisher听
Boston Medical Center
Cory Pouliot听
CDU-KEDREN Mobile Street Medicine (Kedren Community Health Center & Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science)
Jerry P. Abraham听
Centro Fronterizo del Obrero (dba) La Mujer Obrera
Cemelli de Aztlan听
Chico State Enterprises
Blake Ellis听
Dade County Street Response
Armen Henderson听
Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice
Laprisha Berry Daniels听
Hollygrove Dixon Neighborhood Association
Raymond Sweet听
La Cl铆nica de La Raza, Inc.
Lily Kelly听
Lifelines Counseling Services
Chandra Brown听
Maryland Latinos Unidos
Gabriela Lemus听
Micah Six Eight Mission
Cynthia Robertson听
Mycelium Youth Network
Lil Milagro Henriquez听
Nordson Green Earth Foundation
Sheetal Rao听
The CLEO Institute
Joanne P茅rodin听
The North Carolina Museum of Life and Science
Max Cawley听
University of Puerto Rico
Maria del Carmen Zorrilla听
University of South Alabama Center for Healthy Communities
Ashley Williams听
听
Meet the Current CCN Strategic Partners:听
American Geophysical Union
Rajul Pandya听
American Public Health Association听
Katherine Catalano听
Aspen Institute
Lola Adedokun听
Association of American Medical Colleges – Center for Health Justice
Anthony Nicome, Phylicia McCalla听
AstraZeneca
Francesca Plendl, Bridget Therriault听
Environmental Defense Fund
Margot Brown听
Gulf Research Program
Daniel Burger听
HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity
Ta Misha Bascombe, John Balbus
Updated as of February 2025: This HHS office has closed, and HHS no longer participates in or supports this work in any capacity.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Sonia Angell听
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Indigenous Health听
Donald Warne听
University of California, Center for Climate, Health, and Equity
Sapna Thottathil听
听
About the Grand Challenge on Climate Change, Human Health, and Equity听
The CCN is a part of the 探花app鈥檚 Grand Challenge on Climate Change, Human Health, and Equity, a multi-year global initiative to improve and protect human health, well-being, and equity by working to transform systems that both contribute to and are impacted by climate change. Learn more at鈥nam.edu/ClimateChange.鈥听
鈥痶o stay updated on the CCN and the 探花app鈥檚 climate and health work.听
