Monday marked Phoenix’s 18th consecutive day of 110 degree or higher temperatures. That tied the record set in 1974. For the area’s unsheltered population, this relentless heatwave has dire medical consequences.
Dr. Jack Palmer is with Circle the City, which provides health care to Phoenix’s homeless population. He says it can be difficult to just exist during the scorching summer months. And this summer has been especially brutal.
"If you're sleeping on the ground, and you're not in a shaded area, that ground can get excessively hot. To the point where you can absolutely be getting wounds, burns that turn into worse wounds," he explained.
Insects can also lead to wounds. Palmer says ants are a big problem.
"And you wake up and there's ants all over. It can be terrible," Palmer said.
Palmer says some of his patients come in with holes in their footwear, which can lead to burns and other injuries this time of year.
