Reckoning With the Repercussions of Worsening Climate Change on Health Systems

The recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s sixth assessment report drove home many of the concerns regarding the detrimental impacts of climate change that many have been warning about for years.

But along with renewed calls for governmental action come doubts that the United States’ and other health care systems are equipped to handle such an influx of increasing medical issues wrought by climate change.

Health systems and personnel have already been tested with the monumental crisis of COVID-19, and with higher rates of diseases expected from increased exposure to pollution, to more emergency responses warranted by frequent natural disasters, health professionals around the world are calling for immediate action to curb current and future ramifications.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Laalitha Surapaneni, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota. Surapaneni discusses her work in mobilizing calls for climate action, the threat of worsened health outcomes due to climate change, and steps health systems can take to better prepare for these challenges.

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