From the Editor
Climate Change: Back to the Basics of Public Health
We are pleased to bring you this issue of Northwest Public Health, which explores the many challenges that climate change brings to our region. This issue also introduces several changes to the journal. We hope we have maintained the standards of high quality and a focus on public health practice that you have valued. For the continued quality and relevance of the journal, we credit the Editorial Board and the many authors and peer reviewers who contributed their thoughts and passions to the articles and commentaries you see here. (Please consider this an invitation for all of our readers to become more involved with the journal.)
Kathy and I took on our new roles in July, and we welcome your suggestions. Kathy’s experience with environmental issues was especially helpful in developing this issue. We would like to thank our predecessors, Aaron and Judith, for creating such excellent momentum and systems. They are both fully engaged in other writing and teaching activities here at the University, and continue as valuable resources.
I come to the University with more than 23 years in state and local public health practice and a desire to better connect practice and academia. One of the exciting aspects of Northwest Public Health is its effective practice-academic collaboration, and I welcome the opportunity to be associated with this journal and the community it reaches.
The current issue examines climate change, a topic that stretches the current boundaries of public health. In its origins, Public health was involved with community planning, but economic realities have restricted the scope of most health departments. Challenges such as climate change bring us back to the bigger vision of public health.
Our guest editor, Gregg Grunenfelder of the Washington State Department of Health, does an excellent job of setting a context for the other articles. Howard Frumkin and George Luber of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) link climate change to the 10 Essential Services of Public Health.
Vic Colman of our editorial board calls for an expansion of the public health role in the built environment. Darrah Kauhane-Floerke provides the perspective of a future public health practitioner, while Michael Heumann and Trish Neiworth suggest ways health agencies can reduce their carbon footprint.
This issue contains two articles about emergency preparedness: Michelle McDaniel describes King County’s outreach to adult family homes and similar health-care providers and Jacqueline Poston poignantly describes Alaska’s partnership with coastal villages that are at real risk of disappearing.
Paul Cieslak and Mel Kohn provide an excellent overview of climate change and communicable diseases and three regional articles give examples. Karl Musgrave and Emily Thorp describe Wyoming’s veterinary surveillance system; Michael Bradley traces the spread of infectious agents to Alaska; and Alison Scherer and Elaine Faustman describe harmful algal blooms in shellfish.
Leonard Herr and Uwe Reischl describe models for climate change and air quality in Idaho’s Treasure Valley. Jane Koenig rounds out the air pollution discussion by explaining the health effects of wildfires.
The contributions and facets of this topic exceeded the capacity of this journal. You will find additional articles and an annotated bibliography on our Web site. We hope all of these provoke discussion in health departments and communities throughout the Northwest.
Susan Allan, Editor-in-Chief
Director, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice
UW School of Public Health
