Arizona organization deploys street medicine teams to care for homeless during heat

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — After reaching triple-digit temperatures last week, Circle the City’s street medicine teams were out on the ground caring for the city’s homeless.

Senior Director of Community Outreach & Strategy, Stephanie Martinez, said thankfully there weren’t severe burns or lacerations like they typically see in the middle of summer.

However, she said a lot of people were very dehydrated. “We serve hundreds of people on a daily basis,” Martinez said. “Our teams need immediate resources like IVs for hydration, water. Our patients are out there and homelessness continues to increase and so we have to brace ourselves and be as proactive as possible.”

Last summer, there were 602 reported heat-related deaths in Maricopa County.

Wanting to try to decrease that number this year, Circle the City has deployed its new street medicine team, the West Valley team, to help as many people as possible.

Leslee Hamadeh is the medical director of the West Valley team, and she said the need is huge, especially before the hot summer months.

“Our team sees people as far west as Tonopah, Buckeye, Surprise, Avondale, Glendale, and there’s a huge need,” Hamedeh said. “We talk about safety and being prepared and trying to help them with supplies, and water, and anything to help prevent dehydration.”

Circle the City is currently in the planning phase for its Heat Relief 2025 plan. However, after passing out a lot of water and supplies last week, they encourage anyone to donate before the summer months.

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