AAP-CA3 Climate Change and Health Committee Updates – January 2021 – Dr. Plastic Picker
 

AAP-CA3 Climate Change and Health Committee Updates – January 2021

| Posted in Climate Advocacy (AAP/Climate Reality/ClimateHealthNOW)

Me at yesterday’s departmental meeting. LOL.

January 20, 2021

by drplasticpicker

Hello Climate Change & Health Committee Members,

In lieu of our meeting, since the Arts council is meeting and busy planning our Youth Arts’ Exhibition – we wanted to send detailed minutes and updates from everyone. This is our joint committee. Below is a summary of what has been going on, but the most important thing is if there is anything you want to work on together, topic to discuss – please let us know!!!  We want to work together on your passions and your growth as climate advocates.  Yeah our committee!

  1. WELCOME! We are always recruiting. Welcoming new members Jeana Hoyt, Dan Spencer, and Ted Ng.
  2. ADVOCACY.  AAPCA climate advocates legislation updates: Sally and I are the reps that sit on the AAP-California wide Climate Advocate Legislation Group composed of two climate advocates leads from each chapter (there are 4 California chapters).  Patty Pascual has agreed to be an alternate if we can’t attend.  Updates from the last meeting from Sally, “Kathy Dervin, MPH updated AAPCA climate advocates regarding different legislation AAP CA may have the opportunity to support including a fracking ban (Newsom asked legislation for this bill) or take two of AB345 setbacks bill to require >2,000 ft setback of critical infrastructure from drilling sites. All potential legislation for cycle should be introduced by 3rd week of February and we will meet then to review legislation and propose which single new climate legislation we will advocate for CA AAP to support. We are still developing criteria for selection.” 
  3. ADVOCACY. AAP National Legislative Conference (virtual) April 11-13. Cost is $250, but there are scholarships and local chapters sometimes sponsor a person to go.  Climate is going to be front and center.  I believe Patty is planning on attending.  “The virtual conference will have a jam-packed agenda, including distinguished speakers, advocacy skills and issue sessions and opportunities to learn how to be a strong voice for children. On the final day of the conference, participants will attend virtual meetings with their congressional offices and other attendees from their state to discuss a timely child health issue. Registration for the conference will open in January.”  This is the same information from Coastal Currents. If anyone is interested in going, let us know and we can try to ask if someone can get funding from the chapter.  Patty is going to pay her own way she said and not ask for funds. 
  4. WRITING: There may be writing opportunities to write on climate and health, or op-eds if you are interested. Please let us know.  Climate Actions Campaign Public Health Advisory Committee, which Sally and I are part of – will likely have some spots for training locally in advocacy which includes writing as part of Eco-America and will be paid for by CAC.  Two national writing opportunities recently came up, and Sabrina Perrino is taking the lead on a joint effort article in Pediatrics on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Feature submission and I agreed to lead the article on Environmental Justice in Pediatrics for the Journal of Applied Research on Children –  EJ/Climate edition –  on EJ/climate/kids. Other opportunities will likely come up and especially for those that have published before during fellowship, this will be a good opportunity to brush up on your academic writing. These are not research articles but more review articles/opinion pieces. 
  5. NATIONAL COMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING: Thank you to Patty and Sabrina, who have agreed to join the national monthly call in.  I call in when I can as well.  This divides the work up as Sally is going to the AAP-California wide advocacy call which is another call.
  6. CHILDREN’S ARTS COUNCIL: Big thanks to Andrei, Hakim, Ashley, Sara, Sally and Shogo for working on this.  We are so close, we can smell it!  The AAP-CA3 Climate Change and Health Youth Art’s Exhibition will likely go live early-mid February.  Hakim has been organizing the kids on the children’s arts council. Andrei is almost done with the website. Ashley is organizing the judging panels (we have a great group including some professional poets, fine arts photographers from the community) and organizing the two older high school volunteers who are soliciting prizes for the entrants.  If you are still interested in judging or helping out let us know. We can always use more help. Next meeting virtually is January 30.
  7. LOCAL CONFERENCES: Sally and I early on committed to trying to provide Climate Change and Health talks to local training programs.  UCSD Rady’s Peds residency DONE! UCSD SOM Prime HEq DONE! Loma Linda Peds (Sabrina) scheduled! UCSD Family Practice Grand Rounds (Andrei, Hakim and Vi) scheduled!  Let us know if there are any health training programs around that you would like to speak at, or want us to reach out to. 
  8. GATHER: FILM SCREENING. Big thanks to Meredith our AAP-CA3 Executive Director and Laura Dern, current president.  They are so supportive of our committee. If you have a chance, please try to officially join CA3 which is like $30!.  They gave us $300 to organize a film screening and discussion of the move Gather, which is about indigenous food rights and the connection between food systems and the natural environment.  I’m still waiting to hear from the Director confirming an early March date so will let you know as soon as I can.  Hakim and Dana Patton-Ku are helping to organize and moderate this discussion. 

This is what this beautiful committee has been up to!  Thank you for everything you do for our shared community especially for our children and our planet.

Sally, Vi and the interns (Ashley, Hakim, Vivian, Shogo, and our newest intern working with Dr. Morelos and clean air youth education Laisha)

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