October 19, 2022 | Originally published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By: Tracey L. Henry, MD
Mary is a 50 year-old widow and mother of three from the Atlanta metro area. She struggles with high blood pressure and asthma, and lives in an older home that floods in heavy rain. Mary works two part-time jobs — one at an industrial plant – and often walks to work, given high gas prices. On one of her walks home, she experienced muscle cramping along with a fast heart rate, headache, dizziness and nausea. Mary sat down on the side of the road where she became confused and then passed out. Luckily, a bystander noticed and called 911. She was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of a heat stroke.
Mary is not one real person, but the story and medical conditions are common…READ THE FULL ARTICLE>
Dr. Tracey L. Henry is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and a clinical educator and attending physician in both inpatient and outpatient medicine. She is the Assistant Health Director, for the Grady Primary Care Center and Co-Director of the Health Equity Advocacy Policy track for Emory’s GME programs. She is a 2022 Climate and Health Equity Fellow.