Office of Climate & Health
Building Climate Resiliency for a Healthy and Prepared Connecticut
Climate change is one of the most pressing public health problems of the 21st century. In the last year alone, Connecticut residents have experienced climate-related health risks from wildfire smoke, devastating flooding, more frequent and severe heat, and an increase in vector-borne disease from mosquitoes, ticks, and bacteria.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) understands that this is a critical time for building climate and health resiliency. In the Office of Climate and Health (OCH), we operate with an “all-hands” attitude, undertaking vital work in collaboration with other state agencies, local health departments and districts, academic partners, and communities to ensure the health and safety of all Connecticut residents in the face of a changing climate.
Explore our pages below to learn more:
Climate Change and Health: At a Glance
Must know facts about climate change
- Climate change is occurring now and, without substantial intervention, will continue
- Taking action on climate change creates enormous opportunity to benefit health outcomes
- Connecticut residents are already experiencing health effects from climate change, and we are working hard to combat it across the state
- Climate change is a risk amplifier, meaning vulnerable populations and communities will experience the effects of climate change more acutely
Open Request for Applications from Local Health Departments/Districts for Round 2 of the Connecticut DPH Pilot Grants for Local Heat and Air Quality Preparedness & Response Planning.
Overview: The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH)’s Office of Climate and Health (OCH) and the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health (YCCCH) seek applications from Local Health Departments/Districts (LHDs) for pilot grants to develop a local heat and air quality response plan with a health equity lens. The pilot grants are funded through a Climate-Ready States & Cities Initiative grant awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to DPH to implement the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework in Connecticut. Each pilot grant will be in the amount of $24,500 to be expended within a one-year period tentatively slated for July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026. There are two pilot grants available in this second round of Request for Applications.* LHDs will be selected for pilot grants based a variety of criteria, including but not limited to, their ability to serve populations with greater vulnerability to the health impacts of extreme heat and air pollution.
Related opportunities on the horizon: As a complement to these pilot grants, we are developing a toolkit to assist Connecticut LHDs in developing Local Heat and Air Quality Preparedness & Response Plans. We invite LHD staff to participate in a focus group session in mid-November to gather LHDs’ input on the draft materials – please contact me ASAP if you are interested in providing input. Please also save the date for a launch webinar on December 6, 2024, from 12:00-1:00pm; details to follow.
Contact us! Whether you are interested in joining our current work or if you would like to connect with someone from the Office of Climate and Health, please contact at DPH.Climate@ct.gov.