JIM KEECH General Manager – Commissioning & Partnerships, Sydney North Health Network
Meeting the local health challenges of climate change An urban Primary Health Network weights impacts and opportunities
In 2020, Sydney North Health Network (SNHN)
respiratory ailments, and indirect consequences,
became one of the first operators of an Australian
such as deteriorating mental health in the face
Primary Health Network to publish a Climate Change
of environmental degradation and experience of
and Health Strategy.
extreme weather events.
The Strategy, developed with the support of
Climate change and related health impacts have
AHHA, outlines SNHN’s aim, as a trusted, locally
long been understood and discussed at a strategic
focused health organisation, to work with its local
level at SNHN, and informally factored into activities
communities and primary healthcare providers to
and discussions with stakeholders. But there had
build resilience, raise awareness and reduce the
been no blueprint of specific actions that would build
impacts of extreme weather events on health.
community resilience in respect to climate-related
These impacts include direct consequences,
health impacts. This may be a familiar situation for
such as bushfires leading to poor air quality and
many PHNs. For SNHN, it was the heavy smoke that
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The Health Advocate • MAY 2021
