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About Us

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Our Story

The Florida Clinicians for Climate Action was formed in January of 2018 at the Florida Climate & Health Equity Symposium, which was a collaboration between the National Medical Association, the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute and the Florida state chapter of the National Medical Association and The Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health.
Symposium

2018 Climate & Health Equity Symposium

The 2018 Climate & Health Equity Symposium educated over 100 clinicians, primarily physicians of color, on addressing the health effects of climate change in low-income Floridians. At the conclusion of the symposium, there was a breakout session, where a group of about 30 physicians agreed to create Florida Clinicians for Climate Action and issued the Tampa Declaration on Climate & Health. The Tampa Declaration on Climate and Health is a call to action for Florida health professionals to protect public health from climate change impacts.

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Goals

Our Goals And Vision

ADVOCATE LOCALLY AND STATEWIDE

Our organization always appreciates the generosity and involvement of people like you, with every contribution going towards making Florida Clinicians For Climate Action an even better Climate Change Non-Profit Organization than it already is. We want to provide you with the correct and appropriate information pertaining to your mode of support, so don’t hesitate to contact us with your questions.

ENGAGE AND INFORM

Inform our peers, policymakers, and patients about the health risks from climate change, and the health benefits of climate action. We will serve as messengers about the steps we can take to limit climate impacts and prevent the problem from worsening.

MITIGATE

We will lead by example and reduce the carbon footprint of our own institutions. We will strive to make our hospitals greener and healthier by reducing waste, investing in energy efficiency and clean energy while promoting sustainable transport and resource consumption.

ADAPT

We will strive to make our health systems more resilient and capable of withstanding and responding to the human toll of natural disasters and the shifting burden of disease.

PROVIDE LEADERSHIP

As representatives of our organizations, we will drive the agenda for climate and health, promoting this Call to Action throughout Florida.

PLEDGE

We establish Florida Clinicians for Climate Action and pledge to work with like-minded organizations to advocate to preserve and improve the health of all Floridians who are impacted by climate change, especially vulnerable populations and communities.
Team

Meet The Team

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Dr. Cheryl Holder

Founding Co-Chair
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Dr. Ankush K. Bansal

Founding Co-Chair
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Susan Glickman

Director
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Ashlei Milligan

Administrtator
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Amy Vittor

Steering Committee
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Carol Lindsey

Steering Committee
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Mark A. Mitchell

Steering Committee
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Patrise Tyson

Steering Committee
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Barbara Nabrit-Stephens

Steering Committee
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Phyllis R. Johnson

Steering Committee
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Todd L Sack

Steering Committee
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Catherine Toms

Steering Committee
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Mona Sarfaty

Steering Committee
A Distinct Identity

Florida Clinicians For Climate Action at a Glance

Florida Clinicians For Climate Action knows that our strength lies not only in the words we stand by, but most importantly through the actions of our initiatives. Back in 2000, we realized that by working together we could overcome our challenges much more efficiently.

 For the last 19 years nurses have been listed as one of most trusted professionals in the United States. That is why we ultimately decided to launch Florida Clinicians For Climate Action.

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Cheryl Holder, MD, FACP, is Co-Chair of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action. Dr. Holder is board-certified in Internal Medicine and has dedicated her medical career to serving underserved populations. As President of the Florida State Medical Association – which is the state affiliate of the National Medical Association – Dr. Holder works with nine local Florida Medical Societies to address health disparities and increase the viability of African American physicians.

Since 2009, Dr. Holder has served as a faculty member at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Her focus is on teaching medical students about working in underserved communities and promoting diversity in the health professions through pipeline programs.
Dr. Cheryl Holder
Founding Co-Chair
Ankush K. Bansal, MD, FACP, FACPM, SFHM, MRCP (London), based in Palm Beach Gardens, is a hospitalist and telemedicine physician board-certified in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. He serves on leadership at the American Medical Association, Florida Medical Association, and American College of Physicians. He is passionate about the interlink of lifestyle medicine, particularly food choices, waste, agricultural policy, and population inequities have a direct interaction with climate change. He works on climate and health issues with the United Nations, MedAct (UK), Salzburg Global (Austria), Planetary Health Alliance, World Medical Association, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Florida Clinicians for Climate Action, and Climate Reality Project.
Dr. Ankush K. Bansal
Founding Co-Chair
Coming soon
Susan Glickman
Director
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Ashlei is a graduate student at Drexel University studying Environmental Policy. She works full time on an Afro-Indigenous farm and wellness center that uses traditional farming, permaculture and regenrative practices to tackle the climate crisis.
Ashlei Milligan
Administrator
Coming soon
Amy Vittor
Steering Committee
Carol Lindsey, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, is a Family Nurse Practitioner. Her career includes forty-years of nursing and public health experience in which she was dedicated to improving the health of underserved and vulnerable populations. Carol also served 30 years as an Active Duty Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service (PHS). She is now an active member of ANHE, Florida Clinicians for Climate Action, and The Cleo Institute. Carol is semi-retired and is educating others on climate change and its impact on health, a subject she is very passionate about.
Carol Lindsey
Steering Committee
Mark A. Mitchell, MD, MPH, FACPM, is a professor of Climate Change, Energy, and Environmental Health Equity at George Mason University. He served as the health director for the City of Hartford a city that is 84% Black and Latino, and the Deputy Director for the City of Kansas City, MO. Dr. Mitchell started the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, which provided community education on environmental justice issues and health. He has worked on policy at the state and local level in Connecticut. His recent speaking engagements include the October 2018 Conference of the Southeast Florida Climate Compact, along with Dr. Cheryl Holder.
Mark A. Mitchell
Steering Committee
Patrise Tyson, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, is a Research Nurse who serves as sub-investigator on early phase clinical trials at Syneos where she assists in managing the day to day responsibilities for clinical trial conduct. Patrise received her MSN in 2013 from Florida International University and her BSN in 2008 from Marian University. She has been inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She is the current President of the Miami Chapter-Black Nurses Association, Inc., where she has been active in educating the community on health topics disproportionately impacting minorities and educating minorities regarding the importance of minority participation clinical trials.
Patrise Tyson
Steering Committee
Coming soon
Barbara Nabrit-Stephens
Steering Committee
Phyllis Rhymes-Johnson, DHS, APRN, MSN, BSN, is a graduate of Miami Jackson High School (1973); Miami Dade College (AA 1974, ASN 1978), University of Miami (BSN 1983), Barry University (MSN 1989, ARNP certification 1993) and Nova University (Doctor of Heath Science 2008). Dr. Rhymes-Johnson has served multiple roles at Jackson Memorial Hospital, (1978 – 2010) including but not limited to clinical bedside nurse; Associate Head Nurse; In-patient Cardiac Rehab Coordinator; Educator; Case Manager; Pacemaker Nurse; Research Coordinator, Cardiac Rhythm Management and Cardiac Device Specialist Associate, certified by the Heart Rhythm Society. Dr. Rhymes-Johnson is the Parliamentarian for the Miami Chapter Black Nurses Association (BNA) and assists with the coordination of Community Education events which targets healthcare issues of underserved populations and serves on the American Heart Association (AHA) Health Equity Committee as the Miami Chapter BNA representative, assisting with AHA outreach projects. In addition, she is a partner with the Florida State Medical Association, Covid-19 Task Force; Florida Clinicians for Climate Action (FCCA) Steering Committee Member, FCCA General Committee Member, and FCCA Education Sub-Committee Member.
Phyllis R. Johnson
Steering Committee
Coming soon
Todd L Sack
Steering Committee
Catherine Toms, MD, MPH, is a public health-focused physician. She holds an undergraduate degree in Zoology from Duke University. She received her medical degree from Ludwig Maximilian University in Germany, and practiced in Family Medicine in Norway. She earned a Master of Public Health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2019 and recently moved to South Florida. She has experience building programs to reduce maternal and infant mortality. Catherine advocates for policies promoting equitable, resilient communities and informs the public and healthcare providers about the health effects of climate change. She is especially interested in the health impacts of extreme heat on vulnerable populations.
Catherine Toms
Steering Committee
Mona Sarfaty, MD, MPH, FAAFP, is the Director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health based within the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. The Consortium was established after several years of collaboration with medical societies to assess physician attitudes and experience regarding the health effects of climate change and to increase engagement of physicians and their associations on the issues of climate change, sustainability, and clean power. As a family medicine professor and physician for over 30 years, Dr. Sarfaty has engaged in research and teaching focused on primary care, cancer screening, and public policy, including the health effects of climate change. Dr. Mona Sarfaty has worked for Senator Kennedy on Capitol Hill and has published articles and book chapters on climate change and health.
Mona Sarfaty
Steering Committee
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