Growing up in Sussex County, I learned to value the natural beauty of our shared environment. Wherever you are, it’s never far from the water, the peacefulness of a nearby forest, and a wide variety of beautiful flora and fauna. The pond I grew up next to (Williams Pond) used to freeze every few years and we would go ice-skating. We didn’t have air-conditioning, just an attic fan that pulled a gentle breeze through the house, and that was fine. But, our climate is changing and we need to be ready.
Bethany Hall-Long, like me, grew up in Sussex County. Sussex County is “down home.” We both still have family, friends, and a strong connection to the people and the culture of the area. But Bethany brings a rare perspective to the table on climate change. She understands the healthcare connection, and this is critical. Along with a continued and sustained focus on energy and infrastructure, she understands that we need to sweep in solutions to address the direct impacts on human health. To do that, we need an administration that understands the confluence of climate
change and healthcare.
Our climate is getting hotter and staying hotter longer. Coupled with the humidity and air pollution, this is increasingly dangerous for human health. Along with heat-related illnesses, the increased temperatures and change in precipitation patterns have led to an increase in mosquito-borne and tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, West Nile virus, and others that are now being seen in Delaware and the eastern U.S. like never before. There are higher rates of hospitalization for conditions like PTSD and mania during hot months; heat waves bring a reduction in measured attention, working memory and reaction times; elevated temperatures result in the loss of sleep quality and days of physical activity; violent crime and suicide increase with increasing temperature; and those who are taking psychotropic medications for anxiety, depression or other mental health disorders are at an increased risk of heat-related death.
Evidence continues to grow establishing the link between air pollution, primarily from burning fossil fuels, and development of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The point is, the climate change isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s a healthcare issue as well, and there is a disproportionate effect on those with socioeconomic challenges who cannot afford air conditioning, proper healthcare, housing or nutrition. Bethany gets this, intuitively, from a 20-plus-year career in healthcare and public policy. When it’s time to make the big decisions on how we are going to address the healthcare issues we are facing in this changing environmental landscape, we need Bethany at the helm. She’s ready on day one. She’s smart, she’s driven, and something else that is uncharacteristic in many public officials – she’s kind. She is precisely the type of leader we need as we face the complex environmental and human issues inherent in climate change.
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