Description
Whether
you are lobbying on specific legislation or just educating your decisionmakers
more generally, public health professionals play an important role in the
debate about the connection between climate change and health. This session
will provide a brief overview of various ways public health professionals can
advocate with their decisionmakers and offer their input and expertise on
climate change and public health issues.
Contributors
Don Hoppert
Don Hoppert is the Director of Government Relations at the
American Public Health Association where he leads the association's federal
government relations and grassroots advocacy activities. He previously served
as Director of Federal and Congressional Affairs at APHA from 1998 through
2004. Don is a long-time former member of the board of directors of the
Coalition for Health Funding, the oldest and largest nonprofit alliance working
to preserve and strengthen federal public health funding. He served as
president of the coalition in 2015 and 2016. From 2004 through 2006, Don was a
public policy and public affairs consultant in San Francisco, Calif. where he
worked for both corporate and nonprofit clients on a variety of public policy
issues, including prescription drug access, tobacco control and emergency
health services. Don served as a congressional aide to U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown
from 1994 through 1998. He advised Brown on several legislative issues
including the environment, financial services, education and crime and
judiciary matters. He received a BA in Environmental Policy and Analysis from
Bowling Green State University.
Juan Declet-Barreto
Juan
Declet-Barreto is the Climate Vulnerability Social Scientist for the UCS
Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Juan
researches the impacts of climate change on human health and wellbeing, and
communicates findings and equitable solutions to impacted communities, the
general public, and policymakers. His research is focused on understanding
disparities in climate change-related human health outcomes by recognizing that
these are endpoints in complex interactions between individual biology and
environmental exposures that are also shaped by the broader-scale
socio-demographic, cultural, and economic contexts in which people live their
lives.
Elisabeth Coats
Elisabeth
Coats has been with the National NeighborWorks Association (NNA) since November
2021, coming on as the Association’s first Director of Policy and
Advocacy. The NNA is the trade association representing NeighborWorks
organizations in all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico and the District of
Columbia. The NNA provides external advocacy for funding and public
policy, as well as internal support as the voice of the NeighborWorks network
in advancing the issues, needs, and recommendations to NeighborWorks America.
Prior to
joining the NNA, Elisabeth worked as a professional staff member to the Senate
Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban
Development. During her time on Appropriations, she specialized in the
federal budget process, affordable housing, homeless assistance, and community
development issues.
Hannah Vogel
Hannah Vogel has worked
as a policy advisor on energy, environment, and climate issues for Senator Edward
J. Markey of Massachusetts since 2017, and previously worked on climate,
energy, and health care issues for Representative Lloyd Doggett (TX-35). Prior
to coming to the Hill, Hannah worked on climate strategy for Climate Nexus,
coordinating messaging and outreach for US climate nonprofits during the Paris
Climate Agreement negotiations in 2015 and the organization of the People’s
Climate March in 2014. She got her start in the climate movement as a clean air
organizer in Cleveland, Ohio.
Laura Kate Bender
Laura
Kate has spent more than a decade working for protections from air pollution
and climate change. She serves as National Assistant Vice President, Healthy
Air at the American Lung Association, where she leads the Healthy Air Campaign,
directing advocacy initiatives in Washington, DC and field work in multiple
states and coordinating a broad group of national public health and medical
organizations. She previously served as the Campaign’s lead representative to
Congress and Virginia organizer. Laura Kate studied political science and
communications at American University in Washington, DC and lives in Fairfax,
Virginia with her husband and two young children.