Resident urges Tahoe Forest to adopt climate action plan and address health impacts of climate change

Deirdre Henderson, a Truckee resident and patient, used the public comment period at the Tahoe Forest Hospital District board meeting on Feb. 27 to urge the district to adopt a formal climate action plan and to address health effects of climate change in clinical settings.

Henderson identified herself as co‑lead of 100 Percent Renewable Truckee and of the North Tahoe chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby. She said the district has taken steps such as joining the Climate Transformation Alliance and conducting a waste audit, but “you still need that overriding plan so that you can measure what your accomplishments have been and demonstrate them to the community.”

She asked the board to develop specific objectives, timelines and metrics tied to the district’s greenhouse‑gas inventory and called for greater attention from clinicians to climate‑related health effects such as heat, wildfire smoke and planned power shutoffs. Henderson referenced a four‑day conference, Our Planet, Our Health, and described Climate Rx, an EcoAmerica program used by physicians to open conversations with patients about climate risks.

Henderson said she looked at Contra Costa Health's Climate and Health web materials to learn whether the district's incoming CEO, Anna Roth, had prior experience on the topic and urged the board and the new CEO to prioritize patient education about climate‑related health risks. Her remarks were given during the public comment period; the board did not take formal action in response during the meeting.