Strategy PHSW-3. Minimize public health impacts. Many of the facilities and services provided by the City can also serve as important venues for adapting to climate change. This strategy identifies ways that the City can work with the community to minimize public health impacts from climate change, such as heat, respiratory, and pathogen-related illnesses. This strategy also includes opportunities for the City to adjust or repurpose its current activities and facilities to help minimize public health threats, such as its libraries, parks, and emergency management services. PRIORITY ACTIONS PHSW-3-1. Work with vulnerable populations to create specific adaptation strategies to address public health risks. Some populations and areas of the city will be more vulnerable to climate impacts than others. The City can work to minimize the impacts on its most at-risk populations and areas by working with residents and local organizations to identify and implement cus - tomized solutions. For example, outlying areas exposed to wildfires or low-lying homes and businesses in flood zones could receive tailored trainings to ensure readiness for the risks of their location. The City could work with at-risk populations such as the elderly or disabled to identify specific challenges in the face of a changing climate and customized solutions such as accessible cooling centers or additional health services.PHSW-3-2. Identify and minimize potential urban heat impacts. Climate change is expected to increase the number and severity of heat waves in Ashland, putting vulnerable people at greater risk of heat-related health complications and reducing the quality of life for all Ashland residents. The City can take steps to minimize the risks presented by heat waves by identify - ing where heat-related impacts will be most pronounced and working to encourage and/ or directly implement strategies for offsetting these impacts, such as by designating cooling centers through the city, improving cooling systems in schools and senior centers, and incentivizing cooling strategies such as cool roofs/pavements and expanded tree canopy. PHSW-3-3. Develop or enhance heat-warning systems for employees and the public. Heat-warning systems help minimize the health dangers associated with extreme heat by giving the public a chance to plan ahead to avoid being outside or take refuge at a designated cooling center during the hottest periods. OTHER ACTIONS • Educate public and public health professionals about health risks posed by climate change, including potential changes in air quality and impacts on mental health. • Adjust City-sponsored outdoor activity schedules and plan for indoor alternatives to accommodate longer and hotter summer seasons.C AdC Ad C Ad 95ASHLAND CLIMATE & ENERGY ACTION PLANPUBLIC HEAL TH, SAFETY & WELL-BEING 95

Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP)