New tool to measure health impact of climate change in at-risk communities

Several federal agencies released a new tool Wednesday that identifies which communities are the most at risk from climate change impacts, helping officials identify areas that need more resources. 

The Environmental Justice Index, released Wednesday by the Biden administration, builds off existing indexes to create a single score for local communities. The new index comes as the administration has sought to close gaps in health equity and determine how climate change could exacerbate such gaps. 

“Too many communities across our nation, particularly low-income communities and communities of color, continue to bear the brunt of pollution,” said Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement. “Meeting the needs of these communities requires our focused attention and we will use the Environmental Justice Index to do just that.”

The index relies on data from the census and other federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data and maps can paint a picture of which communities are most at risk for health impacts from environmental hazards.

Environmental burdens such as air pollution can help exacerbate certain preexisting conditions like asthma. It can also look into other factors such as poverty, race and ethnicity that may make conditions even worse.

“While everyone is at some risk from the health impacts of environmental hazards, the communities that are most affected are often those that are already experiencing health inequities,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., in a statement.

The index will be available to policymakers and public health officials and can be used to analyze “the unique, local factors driving cumulative impacts on health to inform policy and decision-making,” according to a release on the index. 

The CDC helped create the index alongside HHS’ new Office of Environmental Justice, which was created in late May.

In addition, HHS has made health equity a major priority in other regulatory initiatives. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is looking to require providers and payers to abide by several equity quality measures that could influence payments. The agency is also exploring how to close equity gaps in value-based care payment models.