Building Climate Resilience in Primary Care by Preparing Patients for Extreme Heat
Files
Publication Date
2025
Keywords
oregon, oaa 2025, diversity
Disciplines
Environmental Sciences | Medical Education | Primary Care
Abstract
Background • Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the US and extreme heat events are projected to become more frequent and severe with climate change. • Extreme heat can lead to illness or death through exacerbation of chronic illnesses. • Populations at higher risk include older adults, pregnant patients, young children, and those with chronic medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, lung conditions, substance use, chronic kidney disease, mental health conditions. • It also disproportionately affects marginalized residents and those who face systemic inequities • Access to air conditioning (AC) is a life-saving intervention for preventing heat-related illness and mortality. • Community initiatives, such as the Cooling Portland program, were developed to connect low-income Portland residents with cooling devices. Some insurance plans, such as the Oregon Health Plan, also have a climate benefit that provides coverage of climate devices. However, not all patients are aware of these programs. • Primary care clinics are uniquely positioned to assess patients who are at increased risk for heat-related illness, provide education on safety interventions, and bring awareness about programs offering climate resources. Objectives • Primary Objective: Identify patients with increased risk of heat-related illness to screen for access to air conditioning and offer additional patient information for staying safe during extreme heat. • Secondary Objective: Identify the most effective approach for outreach to high-risk patients. Methods • Epic SlicerDicer was used to help identify patients on my panel who had a medical condition that increased their risk of heat-related illness. The risk factors used in-clude: age over 65 years, history of asthma or COPD, history of CHF, history of CAD, history of substance use disorder. • Data collection: I directly performed outreach to all patients with risk factors either through office visit or phone call throughout the months of February and March in order to provide adequate time to apply and receive an AC device prior to the sum-mer. • During each encounter, patients were screened by asking if they had a working air conditioner and if they wanted additional resources. • Patients who did not have access to AC were then connected to the clinic care coordinator who provided information on which program they would be eligible for based on health insurance. Results • Out of the patients on my panel who had risk factors for heat-related illness, 46% were able to be contacted to screen for access to AC (24.3% during an office visit, 75.7% contacted by phone call). • Out of the patients who were screened, 13.5% reported not having access to AC and 29.7% requested to have additional information about resources sent to them.
Specialty/Research Institute
Primary Care
Specialty/Research Institute
Graduate Medical Education
Specialty/Research Institute
Population Health
