Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate

Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate (HPHC) protects and improves human health by promoting climate health. We inspire and activate health professionals to address climate change through interprofessional education, clinical practice, and advocacy.

HPHC is committed to educating health professionals, the public, and policymakers about structural racism as a cause of disproportionate impacts of climate change on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We promote a climate equity policy agenda that dismantles existing environmental racism, creates a just and equitable transition to a carbon-free economy, and prioritizes investment in BIPOC communities to create climate resilience and healthy lives for all Minnesotans.

People with lived experience of climate injustice and health professionals together, become a unified frontline of trusted messengers to lead efforts and take actions that safeguard public health. Below are four areas of our work that we are featuring during Give to the Max. We invite you to make a contribution that is right for you and to designate the area that resonates with you most.

Air Quality Impacts: Climate change increases levels of major air pollutants including particulate matter, ground-level ozone, and pollen, which can induce or aggravate cardiovascular disease and respiratory conditions like allergies, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Via HPHC, engaged health professionals are actively involved in closing down a Hennepin County trash incinerator and other polluting industries. HPHC is also addressing the health impacts of wildfire smoke and the implementation of MN's Cumulative Impacts Law which enforces stricter emissions standards.

Climate-smart Healthcare: We are moving Minnesota’s health systems towards sustainable practices by developing and launching educational campaigns to inform leaders about climate resilient operations and cost-savings that result. We help implement projects that focus on climate adaptation and mitigation strategies for health professionals, patients, and health systems alike.

Clinician Empowerment: Through in-person and online continuing education opportunities, professional support, peer connections, community-led learning, coalition and advocacy work, and personalized mentoring, and fellowship programming, health professionals gain and fine-tune their skills for individual action, legislative advocacy, systems change, and supporting local climate justice efforts.

Electrification for Health: Every school day thousands of Minnesota kids ride to school on diesel buses that expose them to diesel exhaust, causing harm to their health.  Electric School Buses (ESBs) improve student health and academic performance, and reduce greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change. Diesel exhaust has nitrogen oxides and particulate matter that trigger asthma attacks and contribute to cardiovascular diseases. Nitrogen oxides stunt the growth of children’s lungs robbing them of a healthy future. Minnesota school districts have an unprecedented opportunity to apply for federal and state funding to purchase clean school buses that will save money, improve student health and academics, and reduce climate pollution. HPHC voices the health impacts and other concerns about diesel vehicles to decision-makers. Working with school districts to convert to ESBs, will lead into other fleet conversion efforts, ideally involving vehicles used by health systems.