Scientific evidence indicates that climate change poses risks to the health of Canadians and to health care facilities through increased warming, altered weather patterns and increased climate variability (Seguin, 2008). Many of the impacts are already being felt (Lemmen and Warren, 2008). Future climate change is expected to increase health risks associated with:
- Extreme weather events that are more frequent, intense, of longer duration, and that have greater spatial extent in communities across Canada (e.g., extreme heat events, storms, floods, droughts, freezing rain events, wildfires, land-shifts)
- Increased UV radiation and personal exposures as warming continues
- Increased air pollution (e.g., smog, particulate matter (PM), aeroallergens) in some parts of Canada
- Increased food-borne and water-borne contamination (recreational and drinking water)
- Introduction, expansion or re-emergence of rodent and vector-borne infectious diseases (e.g., Lyme disease, West Nile virus etc.), including exotic diseases
- Exacerbation of health challenges faced by vulnerable populations such as seniors, children, Aboriginal groups, people with chronic diseases, and persons of low socio-economic status
Climate variability has impacted health facilities in past events (e.g., Eastern Canada Ice Storm, 1998; Hurricane Juan, 2005) and will continue to pose risks to health care facilities in the future (World Health Organization, 2014). Extreme weather associated with climate change can damage hospital infrastructure, disrupt power supplies, compromise the availability of critical resources and place greater demands on health care staff. Infectious disease outbreaks and food and water contamination incidences can place added pressures on health care facilities and affect patient safety.
The Health Care Facility Climate Change Resiliency Toolkit was developed to help health care facilities become more resilient to climate-related risks.
