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MUP student Valerie Tran receives grant from Health Care Without Harm’s Climate Change and Health Contest

MUP student Valerie Tran receives grant from Health Care Without Harm’s Climate Change and Health Contest

Master of urban planning and master of public health graduate Valerie Tran and Angela Wan, a fellow SPH master’s grad, collaborated on a sustainability project comprised of their mutual areas of interest — helping people and combatting climate change.

Tran has always been interested in heat-related illnesses and has participated in a research project evaluating U.S. heat vulnerability. Capitalizing on her passion, she teamed up with Wan and the pair applied for and received a grant from Health Care Without Harm’s Climate Change and Health Contest for Nurses.

With the grant, the pair established their nascent program, Nurses for Cool and Healthy Homes. The program, designed for nurses who conduct home care visits, teaches how to perform an environmental assessment of homes. NCHH toolkits include video training for the nurses, a home environmental assessment checklist, a heat-related illness fact sheet, client-oriented tips on how to stay cool, and resources for energy assistance programs

The program has since been adopted by California’s Fresno County Department of Public Health, which serves more than 400 home-visit clients.