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Climate Resilient Health Clinics 

Thousands of community health centers and free and charitable clinics across the U.S. care for millions of our nation’s uninsured, underinsured and low-income patients. Yet, more intense hurricanes, historic floods, unprecedented wildfires, increasing heatwaves, and other extreme weather events driven by climate change threaten their ability to provide care and keep their patients healthy.

The following tools support clinics and health centers both within their clinic walls and in their wider community:

The Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics Toolkit provides practical resources for health care providers, patients and administrators at free and charitable clinics and community health centers to meet the growing challenges for health care posed by climate change. 

View the Toolkit

Wildfire Smoke and Heat-Health Action Plans offer tailored interventions that allow clinics and health centers to support their patients beyond clinic visits. Plans identify strategic partnerships, essential health-safety information to share and opportunities to connect patients with resources and services within their community. 

Create an Action Plan

In collaboration with local stakeholders and public health experts, Americares has developed the Climate Resilience Toolkit for Health Centers in the Philippines. You can find the extreme heat and typhoons and floods toolkits here, including illustrated resources developed for patients and community members in three languages: Cebuano, Ilocano and Tagalog.

View This Toolkit
toolkit cover

Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics Toolkit


It’s here! Download the entire toolkit or see below for specific modules. Individual resources can be downloaded for your use by clicking on General Weather Guidance, Extreme Heat, Wildfire and Smoke, Hurricanes or Floods below and then selecting the individual document or full module that you wish to download.

Download Complete Toolkit

Project Background and Contributors English Spanish

How to Use This Toolkit English Spanish

General Weather Guidance

Climate change-related hazards are harming human health and increasing demand for healthcare services.

The following documents are applicable to all weather hazards and support clinics in developing the operational capabilities critical for them to stay open and continue to care for their patients during an emergency. You can view and download English and Spanish versions of the documents by clicking on the links.

Download Full English
Download Full Spanish

For Patients 

For Caregivers

For Providers

For Administrators

Extreme Heat

Extreme heat is a particularly deadly form of extreme weather. 

The changing climate leads to greater frequency, intensity and duration of extreme heat events. These resources contain critical information you need and actions you and your patients can take to help minimize the impacts of extreme heat on health. You can view and download English and Spanish versions of the documents by clicking on the links.

Download Full English
Download Full Spanish

For Patients 

For Providers

For Administrators

* This document was funded by BD and is not part of the downloadable module.

Wildfire and Smoke

Wildfires have many effects on health, especially for individuals with chronic medical conditions.

The changing climate leads to greater periods of drought and extreme heat which increases the likelihood of wildfires and wildfire smoke. These resources contain critical information you need and actions you and your patients can take to help minimize the impacts of wildfires and smoke on health. You can view and download English and Spanish versions of the documents by clicking on the links.

Download Full English
Download Full Spanish

For Patients 

For Providers

For Administrators

Hurricanes

Hurricanes can cause long-term damage to communities.

The changing climate can increase the frequency and severity of hurricanes and other storms leading to greater illness, injury and death. The impacts of these storms can last for years due to infrastructure damage and displacement of communities. These resources contain critical information you need to help you and your patients minimize the impacts of hurricanes. You can view and download English and Spanish versions of the documents by clicking on the links.

Download Full English
Download Full Spanish

For Patients 

For Providers

For Administrators

Floods

Flood icon

Floods are a health hazard, especially for individuals with chronic medical conditions.

Flood risk is increasing as a result of climate change due to warmer temperatures and more intense storms. Flood waters can cause injuries and drowning, while damage to homes and difficulty accessing medical care can affect long-term health. These resources contain actions you and your patients can take to help minimize the impacts of floods on human health. You can view and download English and Spanish versions of the documents by clicking on the links.

Download Full English
Download Full Spanish

For Patients 

For Providers

For Administrators

Please help us learn more in this project by filling in the simple form below with the name of your clinic/health center and its location. If you wish, you can also share your name and email so we can alert you to new resources and training opportunities.

Click on the arrow and watch the video on the Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics Project.

“Prevention is the best medicine. This toolkit helps patients, providers and administrators prepare for the impacts of climate change and put plans into action to protect health.”

Dr. Caleb Dresser, Director of Healthcare Solutions at Harvard Chan C-CHANGE

The Project Story

“Climate change does not affect all of us equally. Around the world, people who have contributed the least to the problem are impacted most,” said Elena Ateva, Director, Climate and Disaster Resilience. “This project supports clinics on the front lines of the climate crisis – clinics already serving marginalized patients – helping them to build resilience and be ready the next time extreme weather strikes.” 

The Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Harvard Chan C-CHANGE) and Americares have collaborated to help protect people on the frontlines of the climate crisis with the Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics project. Biogen is a founding donor of the project.

This project was born from the urgent need to support frontline clinics in the face of worsening climate disasters. We began with a nationwide survey of clinic staff, revealing a critical situation:

  • 81% of clinics experienced disruptions due to extreme weather in the past 3 years.
  • Less than 20% felt well-equipped to handle such emergencies
  • 77% lacked the necessary knowledge and tools for climate preparedness.
  • Over 80% desired training to protect their patients from climate-related health issues.

Fueled by this data, we developed the Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics Toolkit. The initial toolkit underwent user-experience testing with clinics in California, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Texas. We conducted focus groups to gather valuable feedback about knowledge gaps, real-world challenges and ways to best serve patients.

In 2023, 19 U.S. clinics helped evaluate and refine the toolkit, providing feedback through surveys, interviews and focus groups. The updated version, launched in 2024, integrates three years of user feedback, the latest climate science and actionable strategies for clinic preparedness. 

This toolkit empowers frontline clinics with the resources they need to protect their patients and enhance resilience in the face of extreme weather events. 

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