An Action Convening Hosted by New York Academy of Medicine & Johns Hopkins University
New York, NY (July 14, 2026)—New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) co-hosted a convening on July 9 aimed at advancing primary care solutions that will help protect New Yorkers from rising heat, poor air quality, and other weather-related health impacts. Johns Hopkins University faculty also co-hosted the full-day, invitation-only meeting. Leaders and change agents from across the health spectrum, from payers to public health, walked away armed with informed recommendations for systems transformation and partnerships across New York City. This convening was supported by NYAM and the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.
Sonia Angell, MD, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of the Practice of American Health, department of epidemiology, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University, was one of the architects of the effort. Dr. Angell provided welcoming remarks for the full capacity room of invited attendees. She expressed excitement to be a part of organizing this first-its-kind NYC convening, where all of those in attendance, from payors and primary care to public health and community, brought unique expertise to inform interventions.
“Many people don’t know that common weather exposures, like heat and poor air quality, can cause health problems. This is true even at non-extreme levels. Older adults, pregnant people, and those with underlying health conditions, like heart and lung disease, can be at particular risk. Primary care systems can be a key player in helping our patients prevent and control these weather-related impacts on health, but primary care can’t do it alone,” Dr. Angell explained. “This meeting was designed to bring NYC’s key sectors together, to design cutting edge solutions, like only NYC can do.”
Ann Kurth, PhD, CNM, MPH, NYAM president and CEO, conveyed the opportunity of this gathering to move towards much-needed solutions.
“New York Academy of Medicine is steadfast in combating the climate crisis and helping build resilience through research, advocacy, and convenings. More common weather events, like increased temperatures that led to approximately 525 deaths in the summer of 2025, as well as cold spells that we experienced this past winter, have a significant impact on community health,” Dr. Kurth stated. “These weather challenges can magnify pre-existing health issues, accelerate rising healthcare costs, and overburden healthcare infrastructure.”
Mitchell Katz, MD, president and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, presented one of the convening’s morning keynote speeches. Dr. Katz reflected on a late spring day in 2023 when the New York skyline was engulfed in a haze due to winds carrying wildfire smoke from Canada. In doing so, he echoed Dr. Angell’s sentiment about how extreme weather can distract our attention from the fact that more common, less extreme weather can also cause health problems.
“I remember walking out of my building and that sort of amber-colored air, thinking about my patients, the system and what we were going to do,” Dr. Katz said. He followed by stating that while such seemingly novel weather events are important, they do not address everyday problems exacerbated by poor air quality and hot days when some people can’t afford to run air conditioners, if they even have one. “Like most internists, my patients skew, of course, to people with chronic diseases. I need to be thinking about the right way to educate them, and the social determinants of health. How do we figure out how to subsidize the utility costs of people who are at risk of the heat? If somebody sees you every six months, how would you get them on a schedule to come in April or October, to avoid both extremes in cold weather and heat? Our work is to figure out the best flow to make this happen.”
Pivoting off Dr. Katz’s speech, Jorge Petit, MD, executive deputy commissioner at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, focused on how weather impacts health not just physically, but also behaviorally. The department of health runs a healthcare resiliency community of practice, and Dr. Petit urged those in attendance to join this cross-agency initiative.
“If your organization isn’t already at the table, this is a way of plugging in, and we’re happy to make those connections today. This is the type of partnership that only works if the room sees weather as a health and a behavioral health issue in the first place, not just a physical manifestation,” he explained. “Non-optimal weather changes behavioral (health outcomes) on a timeline that we can see in real time. We see emergency visits moving, crisis calls moving, overdose patterns being affected. A layer of primary care sits right next to your patients living with these chronic illnesses and behavioral health conditions. (They) are often the same patients and weather is hitting them both at once.”
The solutions Dr. Angell referenced don’t require years of research or study to implement. “This isn’t a knowledge problem; it’s a design problem,” Dr. Angell said. By drawing attention to the problem and catalyzing collaborations and projects across primary care delivery systems and communities, feasible solutions will become evident. Several engaging ‘lightning sessions’ bolstered this goal:
- NYC Weather-and-Health Data from the Field: from air quality to the NYC Heat Vulnerability Index and related healthcare costs
- Health IT and Digital Readiness: the power of electronic health records, tech-payor collaboration, and outreach with high-risk individuals
- Clinical Care Interventions: from the Medicaid waiver air conditioner program to heat messaging and an Asthma pilot in the Bronx
From an intentional focus on the most at-risk populations to improving health care for all, this convening stimulated innovative thinking, generated guidance, and catalyzed upcoming collaborations. This meeting contributes to advancing primary care in New York City, so that together, we foster healthier, longer lives for all.
About New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM)
NYAM is a leading voice for innovation in population health. With over 179 years of history, we are committed to a future where everyone has what they need for a healthier, longer life. Guided by the expertise of nearly 2,000 Fellows, a world-class historical medical library, and its convening, capacity-building and community-informed research, New York Academy of Medicine creates actionable solutions to today’s most pressing health challenges. To learn more, visit www.nyam.org.
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