Preparing the Health Workforce for a Changing Climate

Midwives at Makeni Regional Hospital in Sierra Leone.

Since launching our strategy focused on the intersection of climate change and women’s health, the Valerian Fund has been thinking a lot about the healthcare workforce of the future.

Across the world, the impacts of climate change on women’s health are visible in real time.
→ Rising temperatures are associated with increased risk of preterm birth;
→ Vector-borne diseases are spreading into new regions at alarming rates.
→ Floods and climate shocks are routinely disrupting access to care.

Responding to these challenges requires a climate-informed health workforce; healthcare providers who know how to anticipate, prevent, diagnose, and respond to climate-related health risks before they escalate and as they emerge.

That’s why the Valerian Fund is proud to partner with Seed Global Health.

Across Uganda, Zambia, Sierra Leone, and Malawi, Seed works alongside Ministries of Health to integrate climate resilience into maternal care strategies and national health plans. At the health system level, Seed partners with national training institutes and health facilities to train, mentor, and support doctors, nurses, and midwives to recognize and address climate-related risks such as heat stress, dehydration, and pregnancy complications linked to floods and disrupted services.

For the Valerian Fund, this work represents a critical piece of building climate-prepared health systems by ensuring that the next generation of healthcare workers has the skills, training, and support needed to protect women’s health in a changing climate. Preparing the health workforce for climate change is one of the most important, and still underinvested, frontiers in global health. We invite others to join us in building the future of health for all.

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