Climate change is fueling environmental public health problems such as asthma and other respiratory ailments, which is why the agency is taking action to reduce carbon pollution and greenhouse gas emissions through the Clean Power Plan and other initiatives.  On August 19, Administrator McCarthy visited Boston to discuss the shared interests of health professionals and the EPA, highlighting the link between the health of our environment and the health of our children.  Here is a behind-the-scenes look at how EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy spent the day.

Thanks again to Tufts Medical Center, the Boston Asthma Home Visit Collaborative, the Boston Public Health Commission, Tufts Asthma Prevention and Management Initiative, MA Energy and Environmental Affairs, MA League of Community Health Centers, the American Lung Association of the Northeast, and Mothers Out Front - Mobilizing for a Livable Climate.

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Administrator McCarthy arrives at the Boston Children’s Hospital to meet with health care professionals dedicated to caring for and reducing asthma symptoms in children.  Climate change is fueling environmental public health problems such as asthma and other respiratory ailments. (1/12)

Dr. Alan Woolf and colleagues welcome Administrator McCarthy to Boston Children’s Hospital and explain the work of the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit. (2/12)

Administrator McCarthy and the staff from Boston Children’s Hospital Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) show they are united on improving the health of children suffering from asthma and respiratory problems aggravated by environmental factors.  Featured in the photo: PEHSU staff and Northeast Regional Administrator, Curt Spalding. (3/12)

In a speech to Boston Children’s Hospital staff, Administrator McCarthy emphasizes the shared interests of health professionals and scientists at the EPA, highlighting the link between the health of our environment and the health of our children. (4/12)

Administrator McCarthy talks with Robenia Chambers and her son, Jeremiah. After a public health home visit by the Asthma Prevention and Management Initiative, Ms. Chambers learned about common asthma triggers that exist in the home, and has since seen a reduction in her family’s symptoms. (5/12)

Administrator McCarthy is welcomed to Tufts Medical Center by CEO and President, Dr. Michael Wagner.  In Boston, asthma rates are among the highest in the country and Tufts Medical Center works with the Boston Public Health Commission on the Asthma Home Visit Collaborative to help residents create healthy living environments that support asthma prevention and control. (6/12)

Administrator McCarthy recognizes the strong work on climate and energy, including the important public health benefits, in the state of Massachusetts by Governor Deval Patrick. Next to her is the Governor’s Energy and Environmental Secretary, Maeve Vallely-Bartlett. (7/12)

May Chin, the program director for the Asthma Prevention and Management Initiative at Tufts Medical Center, briefs Administrator McCarthy on a public health home visit. (8/12)

Administrator McCarthy travels to Boston’s Chinatown district for a public health home visit through the Asthma Prevention and Management Initiative, and meets with Eden Ling, a child who suffers from asthma, and his grandmother, Heyi Zhang. (9/12)

Administrator McCarthy pauses for a briefing by EPA Region 1 Public Affairs Director, Nancy Grantham, to go over the agenda for the Health Resources in Action meeting. (10/12)

Administrator McCarthy meets with community members from Health Resources in Action to discuss their mission to increase capacity and collaboration across New England to reduce environmental asthma triggers. (11/12)

Administrator McCarthy concludes a great visit in Boston by catching up with agency staff via phone before her flight back to Washington, D.C.  (12/12)

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