Strengthen holistic resiliency and response efforts within the health care and public health sectors.The report acknowledges the initial steps that OCCHE has taken toward its goals and outlines four priority areas of focus for it moving forward: With appropriate staffing and authority, the offices should lead efforts to: 1) prioritize health in the federal response to the climate crisis 2) ensure that HHS maximizes its opportunities to address the climate crisis and 3) improve coordination to capitalize on knowledge, expertise, and strengths across the federal government. This report describes why OCCHE and its newly established Office of Environmental Justice 15 are critical to mitigating the health threats of climate change. 13 Indeed, although President Joe Biden included $3 million for OCCHE in his fiscal year 2023 budget request, 14 Congress did not include the allocation in the final budget, leaving OCCHE unable to hire staff and jeopardizing its ability to protect health, address health disparities that lead to the disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis, and improve the sustainability and resilience of the health care system. 12 To date, however, lack of congressional funding and authorization has left the office without any full-time staff or support to carry out its critical and life-saving work. OCCHE coordinates efforts across HHS departments in responding to the numerous health threats of climate change and advancing environmental justice. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In 2021, as part of a coordinated, interagency, whole-of-government approach to addressing the climate crisis, 10 the Biden administration established the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) 11 within the U.S. 8 Expertise at the intersection of health and the environment, as well as coordination across traditionally siloed agencies, helps ensure that these investments truly advance health and equity. Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), 6 the Inflation Reduction Act, 7 and the CHIPS and Science Act dedicate billions of dollars toward climate and infrastructure and thus have the potential to shape the conditions that influence health and well-being. Mitigating climate-related health threats will require intentional investments that promote health and equity while addressing the climate crisis, including the health care system’s contribution to the climate crisis.
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