Content warning: This episode discusses mass violence, disasters, and their psychological impact. Some listeners may find these topics distressing. Please take care while listening and feel free to pause or skip this episode if needed.  Disasters affect more than homes and infrastructure. They can also have lasting impacts on mental health and well-being. What can we do to help people recover? On the third episode of Extreme Weather Explained, host Dr. Lisa Patel sits down with April Naturale, a nationally recognized traumatic stress specialist who led New York's mental health response to 9/11. April shares how psychological first aid helps people recover, why community connections are essential, and what health professionals can do to support healing.  Mentioned in this episode:  Psychological First Aid online training from the National Center for PTSD:  https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/continuing_ed/psych_firstaid_training.asp    Psychological First Aid online training from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network:  https://nctsn.org/resources/psychological-first-aid-pfa-online   Psychological First Aid for Schools: https://www.nctsn.org/resources/psychological-first-aid-schools-pfa-s-field-operations-guide   Stress First Aid: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/disaster_events/for_providers/stress_first_aid.asp   Join or support the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/   Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our music was composed by James Harp. 

From firing staff and freezing recovery grants to rolling back resilience programs, recent changes to FEMA have left it unprepared to deal with worsening extreme weather. What does that mean for our communities? On the second episode of Extreme Weather Explained, host Dr. Lisa Patel sits down with Shana Udvardy, a Senior Climate Resilience Policy Analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Shana breaks down recent changes to the agency, what they mean for our ability to prepare for and respond to extreme weather, and how health professionals can help people stay safe this Danger Season.    Mentioned in this episode:   Union of Concerned Scientists: https://www.ucs.org/   UCS Blog: https://blog.ucs.org/   NPR Hurricane Katrina Series: https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-84645/hurricane-katrina-anniversary   Join or support the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/   Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp. 

Welcome to our 2026 summer series, "Extreme Weather Explained." To kick things off, host Dr. Lisa Patel sits down with Shel Winkley, the Senior Engagement Specialist and Meteorologist at Climate Central. Shel breaks down what a "super" El Niño could bring, the ways climate change is reshaping extreme events, and how health professionals can help people cut through the noise to understand these complex realities.  Mentioned in this episode:   Climate Central: https://www.climatecentral.org/   Billion Dollar Disasters Database: https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-services/billion-dollar-disasters   Join or support the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/   Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp. 

Extreme heat is already the deadliest weather-related hazard in this country. The good news is that this is preventable. Saving lives starts with preparing before heat hits while laying the foundation for more resilient communities.   Our guest is Grace Wickerson, senior manager of climate and health at the Federation of American Scientists. In this special Heat Safety Week episode, we talk about how heat resilience efforts are evolving, promising solutions emerging across the country, and a new state and local heat policy agenda that's in the works.  Federation of American Scientists: https://fas.org/  State and Local Heat Policy Agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15gJpL7D4OVP8tWAuTNpY6JC6MHPPFVXIKzxffSuxnbo/edit?usp=sharing  Support the State and Local Heat Policy Agenda: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPmAHymTNfQ2hrgIHwX9ccTXgzopsGtYXYDETBTJj773m_RA/viewform  Join or support the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/    Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp. 

From Big Tobacco to the gun industry, we know what happens when powerful industries avoid responsibility: Communities pay the price with their health and their lives. Now, a similar effort is underway. The fossil fuel industry is currently working to secure immunity from laws and lawsuits that could hold them liable for fueling the climate crisis, and running a campaign of denial, disinformation, and deception. In this episode, Iyla Shornstein, political Director at the Center for Climate Integrity, shares what a push for immunity could mean, where we've seen this playbook before, and how health professionals can respond.  Center for Climate Integrity: https://climateintegrity.org/   Join or support our movement here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/   Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp. 

At the 2026 Our Planet, Our Health Convention, three incredible health professionals courageously told the story of how and why they became the climate advocates they are today. You can now hear their stories in this special epsiode. Our storytellers are Nisha Sridhar, a fourth-year medical student; Wendy Bernstein, a senior community psychiatrist at the Wellness Equity Alliance; and Sheetal Khedkar Rao, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago. When health professionals share our stories, we help people remember our words, find their purpose, and boldly envision a healthier future. We hope this episode is the dose of inspiration you need to share your own.  Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.

Our annual conventions bring health professionals and advocates from around the country together to learn and innovate. This year, three participants agreed to visit our new podcast studio to share what they're up to, their passion and commitment, their projects at home, and their particular approach to climate health. Dr. Amanda d'Almeida (California) is a newly minted family physician with a focus on community health and education. Dr. Keisha Reneé Callins (Georgia) is an OB/GYN with a lens of system change at both clinical and legislative levels. Dr. John Balbus (Maryland) is a long-time leader in climate health policy who points out all the ways policy breakthroughs are persisting, and the diverse pathways we can take. These are their stories. Referenced in this episode:  Medicine Explained: https://www.medicineexplained.org/social  the NUANCE // a community health podcast: https://www.medicineexplained.org/podcast  The Climate & Health Equity Fellowship: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/climate-and-health-equity-fellowship-chef/   Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.

Climate change is increasingly shaping why people are forced to leave their homes, the risks they face along the way, and their health and safety in new places. Today's guest is Marysel Pagán Santana, DrPH, MS, the Director of Environmental and Occupational Health of Migrant Clinicians Network in Puerto Rico. She leads and coordinates MCN projects related to occupational health, disaster preparedness, and emergency response. She sits down with host Dr. Lisa Patel to explore who is affected, what health systems can do to better understand their needs to ensure continuity of care, and how seeing migration as normal can help us build stronger communities.  Migrant Clinicians Network: https://www.migrantclinician.org/  MCN Health Network: https://www.migrantclinician.org/our-work/health-network.html  Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/donate-or-become-a-member/   Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.

 In this special mini episode, we're taking a moment to reflect on where we've been this year and to look ahead at what the path forward may hold in 2026. Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/donate-or-become-a-member/  Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.

Cancer Alley is an 85-mile stretch of land from  New Orleans to Baton Rouge. With the largest density of petrochemical operations in the world, the area is ground zero for environmental injustice and human rights violations. Sharon Lavigne is a pioneering organizer who resides along Cancer Alley in St. James Parish, Louisiana. She's a former special education teacher who founded RISE St. James to push back against the proliferation of petrochemical industries. In this episode, Sharon reflects on the health harms her community faces, the fight against industry presence, and what healthcare professionals can do to be better allies in this advocacy. If you would like to support Sharon and RISE St. James, please click here:  https://risestjames.org/. Their work is truly a fight to survive, thrive, and prosper. We can do our part by not looking away and lending our time, energy, and resources to a healthier, safer future. Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.