OCCA is a clinician-led project of the Ohio Environmental Council,
Ohio’s oldest, most respected environmental advocacy organization.
Clinicians have the knowledge and mission to play a vital role in protecting the health and prosperity of Ohio’s families and communities from climate change. OCCA aims to bring this critical perspective into environment-related policy making in our state.
You will find OCCA participants in your local paper, in the halls of the Statehouse testifying against efforts to roll back clean energy progress, and on social media raising awareness about the way clean air, water, and land affects the overall well-being of Ohio families.
OCCA is working to educate medical professionals and students across disciplines in Ohio. We are bringing educational events to medical centers, hospitals, and medical societies throughout the state. We strive to provide Ohio-focused health information about the effect of environmental degradation on our communities.
We also bring an expert health lens to public discourse about environmental issues in an effort to educate the public about the need for stronger environmental protections. Shifting conversations about topics like air pollution away from parts per billion to the effect on children’s respiratory health is critical in order to pass protections that do right by our patients and families.
Through our partnership with the Ohio Environmental Council, we offer doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals practical advocacy tools and trainings such as how to effectively speak to the media, deliver testimony, and sit down in one-on-one conversations with policymakers. OCCA is working to increase the public’s and state legislators’ understanding of the critical overlap between health and the environment.
Below are a few immediate ways you can get involved in the debate around Ohio’s most pressing environmental issues.
Write an opinion editorial or letter to the editor
Deliver testimony before your local or state government
Speak on a panel about the health effects of pollution and climate change
Build up your Twitter and Facebook presence and start posting about environmental and public health issues
If you are a clinician interested in advocating for stronger environmental protections, sign up to receive regular training and action opportunities at https://www.ohcliniciansforclimateaction.org/
