Improving Climate Resiliency and Fluency in Rural North Carolina: A Partnership with Albemarle Regional Health Services

The NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnership (CAP) Carolinas Collaborative on Climate, Health, and Equity (C3HE) aims to build and enhance relationships with local communities to identify, test, and refine equitable solutions for climate resilience. One current research project focuses on a partnership with the Albemarle Regional Health Services (ARHS) located in Northeastern North Carolina to assess their climate resiliency and improve community understanding of climate change and preparedness to address future impacts.

This presentation will showcase the collaborative work between the C3HE and ARHS teams. A survey that was distributed to employees at the regional health services office to gauge their climate understanding and what climate change impacts they can identify within their region. Interviews were also conducted to gain a better understanding about how community members receive weather and climate information as well as which sources they deem as being trustworthy. In addition, an educational lecture, guided by the survey responses, was conducted with Albemarle Regional Health Services employees at the State of the Health summit to showcase how climate change is impacting this region. In the future, a climate adaptation plan will be created for the Albemarle Regional Health Services in which the survey results will help guide what and how much information to include within the plan. Along with results, future avenues for collaboration with the ARHS team will be elaborated on as well.