Actions Panel
Climate & Extreme Heat: A Town Hall on Community Resilience & Public Health
Date and time
Location
The Field Museum
1400 South Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60605Description
Extreme events are on the rise, including heatwaves, drought, floods, and heavy snowfall in different parts of the nation. Heat waves kill more Americans than any other type of natural phenomena because they are persistent, unrelenting and communities are not well prepared. Everyone—from children to athletes to outdoor workers--is impacted by the heat. Those most at risk are the elderly, homeless and low-income residents.
The Climate and Extreme Heat Town Hall brings together experts in healthcare, weather, climate, emergency management and interested citizens to discuss how communities can become better prepared for these long-term threats. The Town Hall will discuss important questions such as: What types of informational products can be produced and distributed to generate a ‘whole of community’, ‘whole of government’ approach to addressing heat waves? Is it possible to develop a ‘National Heat Health Information System’ that provides critical and timely information to health and community decision makers on a sustained basis? What does it take to activate communities to work together to meet the growing challenges of extreme events such as heatwaves? And, what do we need from science to get there? We will discuss these questions and more.
Please join us at The Field Museum in Chicago, IL on July 29, 2015 from 7:00pm-8:30pm with a reception preceding the event from 5:30pm – 7:00pm.
Panelists:
Dr. Cort Lohff, Chicago Environmental Health Medical Director, Chicago Department of Public Health
Mr. Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist WGN-TV
Mr. Gary Schenkel Executive Director of Emergency Management and Communications, City of Chicago
Dr. Richard Spinrad, Chief Scientist, NOAA
Unable to attend? Please watch the Town Hall LIVE through UStream on July 29th, 2015, 7-8:30pm CDT. Click here to watch LIVE.