In the Valley, triple-digit heat can be uncomfortable, dangerous, and even deadly.
For many low-income families, the basics needed to stay safe and healthy are often out of reach.
Mission of Mercy Arizona provides free medical care to patients across the Valley who often have nowhere else to turn.
“We’re managing about 90% of patients here with chronic conditions,” said Paula Carvalho, Executive Director of Mission of Mercy.
“They need ongoing management and care to stay healthy, keep working, and continue caring for their families.”
Doctors at the clinic say extreme heat is becoming a growing factor in their patients’ health.
“We have come across a couple of patients with stories about experiencing extreme heat situations at home,” explained Dr. Roselynde Bryant, Assistant Medical Director.
“We’ve been able to help them map out safe places they can go.”
Mission of Mercy’s mobile clinic is a lifeline for those in need, but earlier this summer, the clinic itself was in trouble when its AC unit failed during a stretch of extreme heat.
That is when Americares stepped in with a $6,000 grant to support Mission of Mercy’s Health Action Plan.
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The funds helped purchase lifesaving supplies such as fans, hydration kits, cooling towels, and misters. They also aided in the cost of repairing the mobile clinic’s AC unit.
“Extreme heat is the number one cause of weather-related mortality in the United States each year,” said Nathaniel Matthews-Trigg with Americares’ Climate and Disaster Resilience team.
“It’s a real and present danger for communities across the U.S., and especially in Arizona because of how high the temperatures get and how long the heat lasts during the summer.”
For patients like Norma Escalante, the support makes all the difference.
“There are many of us who don’t have insurance, and a lot of people don’t know about this clinic,” Escalante said in Spanish.
With these new resources, Mission of Mercy is helping families avoid impossible choices, such as paying for medicine or paying to stay cool.
Mission of Mercy is one of just 20 clinics nationwide chosen for the Americares grant.
Supplies are already being distributed across the Valley, with the goal of keeping more families healthy and out of the ER during Arizona’s hottest months.
