As many American cities get hotter, health systems face off against heatstroke

by Drew hawkinS KFF Health News

As the hour crept past three in the afternoon, New orleans’ french Quarter was devoid of tourists and locals alike. the heat index was over 105 degrees. New orleans emergency medical services has been busy this summer, responding to heatrelated emergency calls and transporting patients to nearby hospitals. At the city’s main ambulance depot, the concrete parking lot seemed to magnify the sweltering heat, circulating the air like a convection oven. Capt. Janick Lewis and Lt. titus Carriere demonstrated there how they can load a stretcher into an ambulance using an automated loading system. Lewis wiped sweat from his brow as the loading arm whirred and hummed, raising the stretcher into the ambulance — “unit,” in official terminology.

But mechanical assistance isn’t the best thing about the upgraded vehicles. “the nicest thing about being assigned a brand-new unit is it has a brand-new air conditioning system,” Lewis said. the new AC is much more than a luxury for the hard-working crews. they need the extra cooling power to help save lives.

“the No. 1 thing you do take care of somebody is get them out of the heat, get them somewhere cool,” Lewis said. “so the No. 1 thing we spend our time worrying about in the summertime is keeping the truck cool.” scientists say dangerous heat levels — and the stress they put on human bodies and medical systems — will likely keep increasing. health systems nationwide face serious funding and staffing challenges that could make it harder to keep up.

Like much of the country, New orleans has been embroiled in a heat wave for weeks. As a result, New orleans ems is responding to more calls for heat-related conditions than ever before, Lewis said. During the third week of July, the city’s public ems crews responded to 29 heatrelated calls — more than triple what they handled during the same period last year.

New orleans ems is no exception. In April, it reported operating with only 60% of its needed staff. the city’s chief of ems has called for increased funding for higher wages to attract more workers. Local private ambulance services like Acadian Ambulance services pay staffers between $50 and $70 per hour. the city’s ems department can’t compete.

Lewis said they’re making do with the resources they have and prioritizing one-time expenses like new ambulances to help them meet the challenges they’re facing.

“We’re going to provide the care everybody needs, regardless of how hot it gets,” Lewis said. “We’d love to have all the help in the world, but we’re getting the job done with what we have right now.” the first stage is heat exhaustion, Carriere explained: “that means you’re hot, you may have an elevated temp, but you also have what’s called diaphoresis, which means your body is sweating, is still trying to compensate and cool yourself off.” You’ll also likely have other symptoms like weakness, dizziness, or a headache. Carriere said that if a person u PAGE 4

When a human being is exposed to high levels of heat for too long, their core body temperature rises. once core body temperature exceeds 100 degrees fahrenheit, hyperthermia can develop. If not quickly addressed, that can prompt an escalating cascade of health problems.