Do you work in a community health center in the United States?

Are you interested in pursuing decarbonization measures for your health center for a cleaner, greener community?

Are you interested in working with like-minded colleagues from across the United States to help mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis?

The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health (MSCCH) and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) are pleased to invite applicants with a passion for making a difference on climate and health to join the 2024-2025 Community Health Center Climate Action Incubator. The goal of this project is to enable participants to hone their leadership skills in making effective climate action and decarbonization proposals at their own health centers. Specifically, the program is designed to deepen participants’ knowledge and improve their advocacy and communication skills through peer-to-peer learning.

Community health centers are on the frontlines of understanding and responding to the climate crisis as a health crisis. Community health centers are trusted leaders in their communities. Engaging in climate action and decarbonization efforts is a triple win. It helps mitigate the climate crisis, aligns the center’s actions with its mission to improve community health, and leverages its leadership position to help spark wider community impact.

Program participants will engage with top voices in the climate and health movement, learn valuable advocacy and communication skills from industry leaders, and work together to develop and refine proposals to bring back to their own health centers.

Participant learning objectives:

  1. Understand how climate change drives inequitable health impacts.
  2. Assess localized climate impacts on health centers and analyze opportunities to mitigate impact through decarbonization and resiliency measures.
  3. Identify opportunities for decarbonization by understanding the policy and regulatory landscape.
  4. Develop and use advocacy, communications, and organizing skills to build a compelling case for decarbonization for leadership.

The project will enlist 20 participants from community health centers in the United States and its territories. Health centers are strongly encouraged to form teams of two to three people but applications from individuals are also welcome. No more than three people from any one health center will be accepted. Each team member should complete an application form.Each participant will be awarded $3000 upon successful completion of the program.

Applicant requirements:

  • Completed application including CV and signed letter of support from CEO
  • Current employment by a community health center in the United States or its territories
  • CEO support for participation including willingness to give applicant time to participate in sessions and willingness to allow applicant to present decarbonization proposal to CEO, board, and/or other relevant decision-makers. Letter of support to be completed and uploaded is available here.
  • Commitment to participate in sessions, develop and pitch decarbonization proposal, and complete any work between sessions. There will be 7 monthly sessions between September 2024 and June 2025. Each monthly session is 3-4 hours in duration. Additionally, participants will be asked to develop and present a virtual presentation for the MSCCH Annual Meeting. It is expected that participants will work 2-3 hours per week on average completing readings and developing their decarbonization proposals.

Applications close on August 30, 2024. Participants will be notified on September 13, 2024.

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