The collaborative will build on relationships formed during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic to study and propose initiatives for the study area to prepare for future challenges related to environmental change and health. The study area focuses on nine counties in upstate New York that do not have a Research 1 university to perform such functions, and include: Chenango, Delaware, Fulton, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, and Schoharie counties. The region is home to over 650 thousand residents, including a metropolitan area (Utica-Rome) that is at the 55th percentile for population of all metropolitan areas, and its rural hinterland. The rural areas have considerable tourism, and in the southern extent face increasing development pressures from the New York City exurbs. The nine-county region encapsulates the service areas of the two major healthcare systems in the region (Bassett Healthcare Network, Mohawk Valley Healthcare System) and the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District. The region is a popular choice for retirees but has experienced an outflow of younger workers, resulting in an aging population.
The collaborative will investigate the relationship between climate/environmental change and health. The three main areas of study are:
- Tick borne disease: Tick borne disease as a consequence of climate change and shifting patterns development that result in increased contact between humans (hosts), animals (reservoirs), and ticks (vectors). This project will involve analyses of climate change in the region, its impact on vector populations, and subsequent human infection with such ailments as Lyme Disease and Anaplasmosis.
- Allergies: Climate change effects on allergies, particularly due to extended periods of pollen season and the introduction of novel pollens over time. The project will involve analyses of climate change in the region and subsequent exposures to allergens among humans.
- Pandemic preparedness: This project will build on past work of measuring mental health, social ideations, and behavioral epidemiological impacts in the potential spread of disease. Building on the Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs & Behaviors (KABB) survey instrument, an updated set of instruments will continue to monitor social behavior in the university sector with a goal of establishing an “early warning system” for behaviors that can encourage disease spread.
Each of these projects is interrelated and will aim to better prepare the region for future health and environmental challenges.