climate change & health equity

Technical Assistance for Tribes

Dancers and audience watching Dancers at California Native American Day celebration in front of the State Capitol, 2023.

The Local Assistance Unit of the Climate Change and Health Equity Branch provides climate and health equity technical assistance to local health jurisdictions (LHJs) and Tribes. We equip LHJs and Tribes to serve their own populations and forge partnerships that increase overall capacity to mitigate and build resilience to climate change. Our work connects California LHJs and Tribes with each other and with CDPH to share resources, strategies, best practices, opportunities and mutual support through barriers and challenges.

Menu of Technical Assistance

The Climate Change Local Assistance Unit provides the following kinds of technical assistance to California Tribes, tribal-serving organizations, and Indigenous communities:

Ask for Assistance

One-On-One Consultation

Forthcoming: Tribal Climate and Health Community of Practice

Forthcoming: Tribal Office Hours

Explore on Your Own

CalBRACE Climate Change Toolkit (arcgis.com)
This collection of tools, reports, and guides helps local health jurisdictions and communities understand and plan to address the health risks of climate change.

Climate and Health Vulnerability Indicators for California (CCHVIz)
Interactive data visualization platform for the Climate Change & Health Vulnerability Indicators for California.

Healthy Mobility Options Tool (currently unavailable)
Shows the health co-benefits of active travel as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

California Heat Assessment Tool (cal-heat.org)
Shows projected heat-health events across the state.

California County Climate and Health Profile Reports
The reports present projections for county and regional climate impacts, the climate-related health risks, and local populations that could be vulnerable to climate effects.

We can advise with:

Embedding health and climate considerations into planning projects
Accessing relevant state and federal data
Identifying funding sources to carry out a wide range of efforts that can promote health and address climate change impacts
Implementing related plans, programs and projects
Evaluating related plans, programs and projects

Examples of planning projects we can assist with might include:

Input and data collection to identify values, threats, vulnerabilities and adaptive strengths
Analyzing, communicating, and sharing vulnerability assessment findings
Creating climate and health plans, such as climate adaptation and mitigation plans
Integrating health and climate content into Tribal or Local Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMPs), housing and land use planning, or Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs)
Analyzing local, state, and federal climate and health related policies, regulations and plans
Cultivating food sovereignty via Land Back strategies, agroecology, or wildlife management
Planning for resilience and recovery actions such as building housing, community health centers and critical infrastructure that has been or could be impacted by climate-related events
Planning for renewable energy infrastructure or a local microgrid to improve energy sovereignty, energy security and affordability
Identifying and networking with internal and external partners like local health jurisdictions, health providers, tribal departments and community members

We acknowledge tribal sovereignty over tribal lands, private knowledge, and data. We will support Tribes in protecting and uplifting such rights and sovereignty, including rights to data, knowledge, materials and publications developed with our assistance.

CDPH staff at State Capitol

CDPH staff who provide support to Tribes at California Native American Day, 2023.

Recent Highlights

The new CDPH Guide to Health Equity Centered Local Heat Planning assists local jurisdictions with incorporating health equity into new or existing heat action and planning efforts. The guide contains long-term planning and policy actions as well as emergency preparedness and response actions recommended for before, during, and after a heat season and a specific extreme heat event. This resource can help facilitate partnerships between local health departments, offices of emergency services, and other local agencies. Updated April 2025.
The CDPH Guidance for Local Health Jurisdictions and Community Service Providers for Extreme Heat provides local health jurisdictions (LHJs) and other community-based service providers recommendations and resources to protect communities from heat-related health impacts, with particular focus on supporting population groups most at risk. Updated July 2024.
The CDPH Tribal Climate and Health Planning Webinar can be reviewed in this recording of the September 2022 Climate Action Team Public Health Work Group meeting (youtube.com).