Manila, Philippines – July 22, 2025 — Americares and the Philippines Department of Health today launched the Climate Resilience Toolkit for Health Centers in the Philippines—a new resource to help health centers protect patients’ health during extreme weather.
Available in four languages – English, Tagalog, Ilocano and Cebuano – the toolkit provides critical information to reduce the health impacts from extreme heat, floods and typhoons.
Developed in collaboration with The Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Harvard Chan C-CHANGE) with support from Johnson & Johnson, the toolkit offers practical, evidence-based information for Filipino health care providers, administrators, patients and community members.
“Extreme weather is a threat to health and so we are transforming how health care providers provide care,” said Americares Philippines Country Director Paul Gwyn Pagaran. “That’s why we have created a toolkit that provides vital, culturally relevant guidance for frontline health workers across the Philippines. By partnering with the Philippines Department of Health, we’re ensuring rural health centers and barangay health centers have the tools they need to protect patients from the health impacts of heat, floods and typhoons.”
The World Health Organization has declared climate change the “single biggest health threat facing humanity” because it “threatens the essential ingredients of good health,” including clean air, safe drinking water, the food supply and safe shelter.
The Philippines’ Secretary of Health Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa joined Americares for a toolkit launch event today at the Sheraton Manila Bay in recognition of National Disaster Resilience Month.
“This toolkit affirms our shared belief: climate resilience begins with people. It begins with empowering our doctors, nurses, barangay health workers, and administrators with the skills and tools to act decisively when lives are on the line,” Dr. Herbosa said. “This is a step toward a more prepared, more compassionate, and more equitable health system.”
Input from more than 35 local partners, including the Philippine Medical Association, the National Association of Public Health Nurses and the Association of Municipal Health Officers, academic institutions, frontline providers and community members shaped the toolkit.
To date, 10 clinics have piloted the toolkit’s extreme heat module, which includes practical tools and resources, including risk assessments for patients and heat management plans for high-risk populations. The provider materials include visuals that can be displayed in health centers and the patient education materials include comic strips and posters that explain the health risks from heat or floods and what to do during an emergency. Community-facing materials explain the role families and neighbors can play during heatwaves and typhoons.
Pilot health centers are also making improvements to their facilities to meet increased patient demand during extreme weather events. For example, the Mabitac Super Health Center in Laguna and the rural health units in Caibiran and Naval in Biliran province are repairing and installing air conditioning units to ensure the safety of patients and staff during extreme heat events. The Cagwait Rural Health Unit in Surigao Del Sur provides weather-protective gear, including long-sleeved uniforms and umbrellas, for barangay health workers. In addition, rural health units are disseminating information on the impact of climate change on human health through posters and banners aimed at educating patients and community members so they can protect themselves and their families.
In March, on the heels of a major heatwave that led to the closure of schools, the Philippines Department of Health issued Interim Guidelines on the Prevention and Management of Extreme Heat Health Impacts directing all health facilities in the country to use the toolkit’s heat resources.
Now, the full climate toolkit is available and will be incorporated into the Philippines Department of Health’s official guidance for more than 3,800 health care facilities nationwide, including hospitals, primary care centers and rural health units.
“This new resource combines the most current scientific research with the lived experiences of health professionals, humanitarian organizations, academic experts and other stakeholders in the Philippines to create a tool that is both evidence-based and practical,” said Harvard Chan C-CHANGE core faculty member Dr. Caleb Dresser. “It was a privilege to work with these communities to develop innovative climate solutions.”
Americares has been providing assistance to the Philippines—one of the most disaster-prone countries—for more than 20 years and has had a team based in the country since Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Americares climate and resilience work is informed by decades of helping communities prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and supporting 4,000 health centers worldwide.
The Philippines toolkit builds on the success of the Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics Toolkit launched in the United States in 2022. Americares, Harvard Chan C-CHANGE and Harvard Global Health Institute made a Commitment to Action at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2022 Meeting in New York City to adapt the toolkit for use in at least three low- and middle-income countries.
To learn more about Americares climate resilience work go to: www.americares-sampler.materiell.net/PhilippinesClimateKit
