Sharing this tip sheet courtesy of Americares and Harvard University researchers, that clinicians are providing to patients with diabetes to help them stay safe during extreme heat. This practical, useful resource is one of many in a toolkit these partners have created to help health care providers, patients and administrators at free clinics and community health centers to meet the increasing health challenges resulting from climate change.
I explained how these resources came to be, in a recent AAMCNews article. As climate change fuels more frequent extreme weather events across the country — from deadly fires in Maui, Hawai’i to flooding in Vermont and Pennsylvania — those who already struggle to access health care face even more health challenges. And while many turn to emergency departments at urban health systems in times of crisis, hundreds of frontline clinics that serve the medically and economically vulnerable play an increasingly important role in preventing a crisis before it gets to an acute level.
------------------------------
Bridget Balch
Staff Writer
Association of American Medical Colleges
------------------------------