Day 3 launched with the guiding question: “What are the main priorities for our network (Academy of Medical Sciences, UK) to address?”. Breanne Alyward analyzed the discussions from the previous two days and summarized them into five key themes:

·      Equity-based responses

·      Compounding, cascading, repeated and new climate hazards

·      Re-thinking recovery and resilience

·      Intervention-generated mental health inequities

·      Transdisciplinary responses

Through a deliberative dialogue approach, each theme was placed at a separate table in the workshop, and three structured group discussions were held to identify the main priorities for the network, leading to a focus on several key areas. Among these, Future Proofing Mental Health Responses to Extreme Weather Events and Polycrisis emerged as crucial points.

Future Proofing involves strengthening health systems against extreme weather challenges and includes producing a commentary to urge national and international governments to address the escalating burden on these systems. Polycrisis refers to a complex state where multiple overlapping crises interact, amplifying their effects; to understand its impact on mental health and healthcare, participants recommended a comprehensive review of existing research, policy documents, and grey literature.

Future Proofing Mental Health Responses to Extreme Weather Events:

Key aspects include:

·      The collective mental health crisis experienced by individuals.

·      Traumatic experiences and PTSD faced by healthcare professionals, first responders and workers.

·       The increased resources are required to fund the ongoing response to such extreme weather events.

Finally, the network discussed the identification of funding which could sustain these efforts in the coming years. Additional priorities were identified and will be discussed at the next Network event, scheduled to be held virtually in Fall 2024.

An executive summary of the conference will be published in a separate blog soon. This summary will en capsulate the key findings and priorities from the entire conference, including best practices, focus areas like future-proofing mental health responses, and the effects of polycrisis.