PHOENIX — Perla Puebla describes last summer working street medicine to help the unhoused as "brutal."
"We saw a lot of patients, especially in July, that were moderately to severely dehydrated, that were not feeling well. They had some heat exhaustion," Puebla, a family nurse practitioner and the Associate Medical Director for the of Street Medicine Central at Circle the City, said. "But they did not want to go to the emergency room. They did not want to leave their pets or their belongings behind."
Puebla said those experiences and 645 people dying from heat-related deaths in Maricopa County last year helped spark the idea to begin providing IV's for hydration as part of their outreach to those experiencing homelessness.
Of those 645 people, 46 percent of those who died last year were unhoused — around 297 people.
Between the beating sun and heat causing people to sweat, Puebla said it's tough to stay hydrated. Without hydration, further complications can arise.
"Definitely can lead to organ dysfunction, kidney failure — a lot of problems," Puebla said.
On their first day offering the IVs last week, Circle the City provided IVs to 20% of the 14 patients seen by one team.
Thursday, the team was parked outside The Burnidge Soup Kitchen where Ace, who's been experiencing homelessness for 12 years, came for treatment from the Street Medicine Team.
"Lately, I haven't had a tarp or anything," Ace said. "I'm out in the direct sun."
Ace said he's been drinking a bottle or two of water a day, and decided to get an IV to help with his hydration.
"It feels better because now I feel like it's going to my lungs and everything else and cooling everything off," Ace said.
It's an experience Puebla has been seeing when giving patients the IVs.
"With one liter of fluid, usually the patients feel start feeling good there. If they have a high blood pressure because of dehydration, that starts to decrease, their heart rate starts to normalize," Puebla said.
In addition to the IVs the Street Medicine Team provides resources, electrolytes, hygiene kits, water and medical services to help those who are living on the street. Donations of water and hygiene kits and more are helpful, Puebla said.
Hoping that the chance Ace saw this week, will be a change for many in the Arizona heat.
"I think we're definitely going to be saving lives out here this summer," Puebla said.
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Heat Beat
Here are several videos about Arizona's extreme heat and how you can stay safe during the state's summer months.