From poor water quality to impacts on respiratory and mental health, drought can have serious and far-reaching impacts on the health of communities across the country. To help health professionals respond to the health effects of drought, a team of researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's School of Public Health recently released a new guide: Drought and Health: A Messaging Framework for Public Health Professionals and Healthcare Providers. This guide is intended to help healthcare providers and public health officials communicate with patients and the broader community about the health risks of drought.
“Drought is often ignored as a threat to human health in the United States. However, we are beginning to more accurately identify the health impacts of drought. For example, our team has We identified increases in system mortality, heat-related mortality, and also reported drought-related stress,” said guide co-author Jesse Bell.
This guide is the result of a multi-year effort supported by NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Health and Air Quality Program, and the Claire M. Hubbard Foundation.
“Throughout our support efforts, we have heard about the great research being done around the country on drought and health. It was clear that we needed to turn it into a practical tool, and this messaging framework was created to do just that,” said Rachel Lookadoo, co-author of the new guide.
This guide incorporates contributions from a multidisciplinary team of experts representing medicine, public health, mental and behavioral health, and health communication to help health professionals discuss drought with their patients and communities. Contains practical steps and guidance that you can follow.
“Public health and medical professionals represent a burdened workforce that juggles many important duties and does not necessarily have time to seek additional education about drought and its health impacts. This messaging framework It is our hope that by creating and sharing this, we can help alleviate some of the burden on these critical providers and improve the overall health of communities most affected by drought.” says Mr.
NIDIS and the research team hope this guide will serve as a foundation for future research and support on the health impacts of drought and other climate-related disasters.
“The health impacts of droughts are a chain reaction that involves a reduction in the quantity and quality of drinking water, reduced air quality due to drought-related wildfires, and, in the long term, malnutrition due to food security issues. part of it,” Sylvia Reeves said. She is the Drought Information Coordinator for the University of Colorado Boulder's Collaborative Institute for Environmental Sciences and NIDIS. “The Messaging Framework tool steps through the process of creating science-based, collaborative communications that create awareness of drought impacts and generate effective responses to help reduce health threats.” I will do it.”
Drought and Health: A Messaging Framework for Public Health Professionals and Healthcare Providers currently available online.
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