BACKGROUND: The project aim is to characterize health risks related to excessive heat and heat exposure in New York State and Florida by spatially linking NASA earth observation data with hospitalization data. The NASA ROSES heat vulnerability collaborative is funded by NASA and involves scientists from New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH); New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH); Florida Department of Health (FDH); Universities Space Research Association (USRA); stakeholders from Local Health Departments (LHDs) and local weather service working collectively for the first time. Our multi-disciplinary team will help integrate novel heat vulnerability assessment tools into existing public health messaging systems.
METHODS: We will use National Land Data Assimilation Systems data set that provides heat metrics at a 14 square km grid obtained from NASA satellite data. We will geocode and spatially link heat related hospital admissions and emergency department data from 2008-2012 with this grid level dataset. We will then conduct case-crossover analyses by linking health outcomes, environmental exposures, socio-demographics, and built environment. The exposure response functions from these analyses will be used to develop fine-scale heat stress vulnerability maps. Information on measures of climate-health impact and vulnerability will be disseminated through state Environmental Public Health Tracking portals. Focus group discussions with LHDs in Broward and Orange Counties in Florida and Westchester, Oneida and Sullivan in New York will inform utility of end-products. Additionally, National Weather Service (NWS) offices in Florida and New York State and the State Climatologist in Florida will contribute to product development and dissemination. Project collaboration is facilitated by using a dedicated share-point site, regular teleconferences and in-person meetings. Project evaluation will be done using the Application Readiness levels framework developed by NASA.
RESULTS: Project results will be used for information dissemination, education and community outreach. Resulting tools will aid in decision making processes for resource allocation and assist in mitigating adverse health outcomes in sociodemographic groups most likely to be at risk of extreme climatological conditions.
CONCLUSIONS: Coordination of objectives at multiple levels and data sharing protocols are important tools for collaboration. Early involvement of stakeholders and end-users in program planning is crucial to successful integration and interpretation of vulnerability assessments.