Director's message about the California wildfires

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

This has been an extraordinarily difficult time for our California communities, and our hearts are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires.

Thank you to those on the front lines, including our brave firefighters and first responders who are working around the clock to contain the fires and risking their lives to protect us.

Last week, I loaded my car with photos, art, and my father’s medal from when he took the CPA exam, and my cat, and evacuated my home in Topanga. Like many Californians, I didn’t know if my house would still be standing after the fires were over. But I considered myself lucky: my family is healthy and safe; we have housing, food, and essentials; and we are surrounded by a community that continues to amaze me. The inspiring acts of generosity and kindness, the spirit of unity, the strength and resilience of our community: You are what makes LA.

Tens of thousands of people in Southern California are displaced, struggling with poor air quality, and in urgent need of help. Recovering from the physical, emotional, financial, environmental, and ecological impacts of wildfires takes years.

Last October, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) released data from the 2023 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) on wildfires and extreme weather-related events:

Nearly 1 in 8 (12.2%) California adults said they experienced a wildfire in the past two years and about 2 in 5 (41.3%) California adults experienced smoke from a wildfire in the past two years.

Among adults whose households experienced an extreme-weather related event in the past two years, 1 in 5 (19.9%) said their physical health was harmed by smoke from wildfire and nearly 1 in 7 (13.3%) said their mental health was harmed by smoke from wildfire.

Among adults who experienced smoke from wildfires in the past two years, 2 in 3 (65.3%) said they accessed filtered air in their home when exposed to wildfire smoke and 1 in 3 (34.7%) did not access filtered air in their home. There were significant differences across sociodemographic factors, including income: 69.6% of adults with incomes 300% of the federal poverty level (FPL) accessed filtered air in their homes, significantly higher than 53.2% of adults with incomes 0–99% FPL who accessed filtered air. U.S.-born citizens (67.8%) were more likely to access filtered air in their home compared to non-citizens (50.7%).

Among adolescents in California, 29.6% said climate change makes them feel nervous, depressed, or emotionally stressed.

We encourage you to explore these findings on our AskCHIS platforms.

As a community of researchers, advocates, health care organizations, agencies, funders, journalists, and policymakers, we must work together: to conduct more research on wildfires and better understand the broad effects on health, to mitigate risk, to inform policies, and to help each other recover. 

I am so grateful for the outpouring of support we’ve received from our colleagues, partners, and friends around the nation. 

Please continue to take care of each other. 

Ninez 

Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP
Director, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
Principal Investigator, California Health Interview Survey
Professor and Fred W. & Pamela K. Wasserman Endowed Chair, Department of Health Policy and Management, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health