Did you know that extreme heat results in a staggering loss of 295 billion work hours globally each year?
62% of U.S. workers report they are concerned about our changing climate’s impact on their health — or that they or their families have already been affected. Yet only 17% of business leaders feel fully prepared to address this issue.
Join us for a virtual summit on Wednesday, June 12, at 1 p.m. ET to examine the impact of extreme heat on employee health — and learn ways to protect your workforce ahead of what is expected to be one of the hottest summers on record.
The one-hour summit will provide insights from distinguished experts who are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of extreme heat on the workforce. Through interactive discussions and a thought-provoking panel, participants will explore innovative methodologies to assess risks and adapt operations amid the evolving climate landscape.
This summit is the first in a series introducing the National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health, a group of health and science experts and business leaders dedicated to empowering employers to protect their workers from the health risks posed by our changing climate.
The National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health was created by the Health Action Alliance in partnership with Mercer and with strategic input from the CDC Foundation. Additional support for the initiative is being provided by Elevance Health and The Hartford.
The Health Action Alliance is a joint initiative of the Ad Council, the CDC Foundation and the de Beaumont Foundation—in partnership with Meteorite. Our free tools, training and events help employers, large and small, navigate evolving health challenges, improve the health of workers and engage with public health partners to build stronger, healthier communities.
As Miami-Dade County’s first Chief Heat Officer, Ms. Gilbert works across departments and cross-sector partners to address the increasing health and economic risks associated with extreme heat. Prior to joining the County, Ms. Gilbert served as the City of Miami’s first Chief Resilience Officer for four years. As CRO, Ms. Gilbert led the climate and urban resilience strategy development and implementation for the City of Miami, and, in partnership with Miami-Dade County and City of Miami Beach, for the greater Miami region. Before her public sector work, Ms. Gilbert managed The Miami Foundation’s civic leadership agenda on sea level rise, Wells Fargo’s philanthropy and community affairs in South Florida and served as the Executive Director for three nonprofits in Greater Miami. Ms. Gilbert holds a BA in Environmental Science from Barnard College and MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Tracy Watts is a Senior Partner and US Leader for Healthcare Policy at Mercer. She advises large employers on their health benefit strategies for active and retired employees. A consultant with Mercer for over 35 years, she’s widely quoted as a spokesperson for Mercer's survey of employer sponsored health benefit plans and is a lead contributor on Mercer’s US Health News blog. Tracy is ex-officio Board Chair of the American Benefits Council, on the executive steering committee of The Alliance to Fight for HealthCare and the Business Advisory Council for the Health Action Alliance (HAA). She leads Mercer’s involvement with the National Commission on Climate and Worker Health, Business Action to End HIV, and The Kennedy Forum. She frequently represents employer interests to policymakers in Washington DC and has testified before Congress on several occasions. In 2018, Tracy was named a “Top 25 Consultant” for excellence in healthcare by Consulting® Magazine.
Georges C. Benjamin, MD is known as one of the nation’s most influential physician leaders because he speaks passionately and eloquently about the health issues having the most impact on our nation today. From his firsthand experience as a physician, he knows what happens when preventive care is not available and when the healthy choice is not the easy choice. As executive director of APHA since 2002, he is leading the Association’s push to make America the healthiest nation.
He came to APHA from his position as secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Benjamin became secretary of health in Maryland in April 1999, following four years as its deputy secretary for public health services. As secretary, Benjamin oversaw the expansion and improvement of the state’s Medicaid program.
Benjamin, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
He is board-certified in internal medicine and a master of the American College of Physicians, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a fellow emeritus of the American College of Emergency Physicians, an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health.
An established administrator, author and orator, Benjamin started his medical career as a military physician in 1978 when he trained in internal medicine at the Brooke Army Medical Center. In 1981, he was assigned to the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, where he managed a 72,000-patient visit ambulatory care service as chief of the Acute Illness Clinic and was faculty and an attending physician within the Department of Emergency Medicine. A few years later, he was reassigned to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he served as chief of emergency medicine. After leaving the Army, he chaired the Department of Community Health and Ambulatory Care at the District of Columbia General Hospital. He was promoted to acting commissioner for public health for the District of Columbia and later directed one of the busiest ambulance services in the nation as interim director of the Emergency Ambulance Bureau of the District of Columbia Fire Department.
His academic career has consisted of a full range of endeavors from teaching and policy research to academic program development and management. Benjamin has combined his practice and academic experience as an emergency physician with public health to become one of the nation’s experts in public health emergency preparedness.
At APHA, Benjamin also serves as publisher of the nonprofit's monthly publication, The Nation's Health, the association's official newspaper, and the American Journal of Public Health, the profession’s premier scientific publication. He is the author of more than 200 scientific articles and book chapters. His recent book Public Health Under Siege: Improving Policy in Turbulent Times explores the impact of policy on our nation's health and offers specific actions to improve health and extend life expectancy. He is also the author of The Quest for Health Reform: A Satirical History, an exposé of the 100-year quest to ensure quality affordable health coverage for all using political cartoons.
Benjamin is an active member of the National Academy of Public Administration and the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. He serves on the boards of many nonprofit organizations including Research!America, the Truth Initiative, the Environmental Defense Fund and Ceres. Dr. Benjamin is also a former member of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, which advises the president on how best to assure the security of the nation's critical infrastructure.
In 2008, 2014 and 2016, he was named one of the top 25 minority executives in health care by Modern Healthcare Magazine, in addition to being voted among the 100 most influential people in health care for 14 years (2007-2018 and 2021-2023). In 2023, Washingtonian Magazine voted Dr. Benjamin one of the 500 most influential people shaping health policy.
Kyle Hubregtse is the Chief Executive Officer of Kenzen, a pioneering health technology firm dedicated to advancing occupational health and technology by empowering individuals to manage their health proactively. Under his leadership, Kenzen has become a leader in developing innovative wearable technology and insights that provide critical data for improving health outcomes and preventing injury in real-time on worksites around the world.
With an academic background in human biology, economics and international business, Kyle brings over 20 years of experience in healthcare, technology and business operations and strategy. Kyle has hands-on experience spanning industries including government, military (a USAF veteran), construction, energy, mining, power, renewables, agriculture, and global supply chains. A recognized leader in the health tech community, Kyle is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a vocal advocate for integrating more predictive analytics into personal health tools. His vision for a future where technology seamlessly integrates into personal health management continues to shape the industry improving short- and long- term health outcomes.
Rachelle Reyes Wenger is the System Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy Engagement for CommonSpirit Health. CommonSpirit is one of the largest private, nonprofit healthcare systems in the U.S., with over 150 hospitals and a team of more than 150,000 employees and 25,000 physicians across 24 states. She started her career with the organization at Dignity Health (then Catholic Healthcare West), over 25 years ago.
Ms. Wenger is responsible for advancing the organization’s public policy priorities at the local, state, national, and international arenas. She manages policy issues core to CommonSpirit Health’s commitment to advancing health and health justice, including racial justice in furtherance of the common good. Her policy portfolio includes various social and environmental determinants of health issues, such as, housing and homelessness, climate change, nutrition and food systems, immigration, human trafficking and violence prevention. Through strong collaborations and speaking platforms, Ms. Wenger has worked to successfully provide the healthcare voice in support of landmark legislation and strategic initiatives while inspiring community and industry engagement to raise their voices in solidarity. She has served various leadership positions on boards and with numerous organizations, including Community Hospital of San Bernardino, California Immigrant Policy Center, NETWORK: A Catholic Social Justice Lobby, The Root Cause Coalition, US Health Care Climate Council, Ceres’ Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), and America Is All In. An integral member of CommonSpirit’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) Core Team, Ms. Wenger also oversees the implementation of the Climate Resilient Communities pillar as the organization works to meet its net zero goal by 2040.
Ms. Wenger received her bachelor’s degree in Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, and her master’s degree in Public Administration at California State University, Northridge.
