Innovative Solutions across the MEDiterranean for mitigation of Climate change-related heaLth rIsks and enhancing health systeM resilience

ongoing

ISMED-CLIM aims to engage and mobilise regional stakeholders across the Mediterranean, in implementing a wide array of adaptation solutions to mitigate the health effects of climate change, and provide evidence for their feasibility, user acceptance and efficacy. Specifically, ISMED-CLIM will (i) enhance the understanding of climate change effects on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and vector-borne infections across representative European countries within the Mediterranean; (ii) quantify, for the first time, how public health interventions integrating state-of-the-art technologies, public and social media, with vulnerable citizens’ participation can reduce personal exposures to heat and air pollution and related health effects; (iii) validate the feasibility and user acceptance among high risk professionals of a regional early warning and risk prediction tool to mitigate the risk posed by exposure to sand flies and related diseases; (iv) employ open, participatory, and co-creative methodologies to locally adapt and refine existing evidence-based practices and prototype tools to increase the preparedness and ability of health systems in the Mediterranean to deliver safe, effective, and efficient care to citizens. We will test the proposed demonstration solutions initially in eight sites and coordinate ten replications in six sites in five European countries (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal), in alignment with Climate Change Adaptation Mission objectives. We will integrate the produced knowledge from epidemiology, forecasting, exposure and health data with insights from the demonstration and replication activities into a knowledge portal and policy decision-centric and action-oriented dashboard for policy makers, healthcare administrators, professionals and citizens. ISMED-CLIM’s approaches will be readily applicable in other European regions affected by the same or other climate change-related stressors, such as forest fire smoke, floods, ozone, and cold.