March 18, 2022 | Originally published in The Spokesman-Review
By: Pragya Rai, MD
Like the proverbial story of the six blind men and the elephant, climate change impacts are nuanced. Last summer, a heat wave in Spokane reaching temperatures as high as 109 degrees, and the wildfires that paralleled the event, led to harm and destruction. The city of Spokane opened multiple cooling shelters, provided water and temporary relief. The Spokesman-Review reported 20 heat-related deaths, with the majority occurring among those living in houses without air-conditioning. The Washington Department of Health reported 100 heat-related deaths between June 26 and July 2…READ THE FULL ARTICLE>
Pragya Rai, MD completed her Pediatric residency at The Brookdale Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Pulmonology at The University of Texas Medical School in Houston, TX. She has over a decade of experience working as a pediatric pulmonologist in eastern Washington and attributes her clinical experience with patients as a gravitating force toward a better understanding of the health impacts of climate change. She is actively involved in the WA Pediatricians for climate action and 350 Spokane, a volunteer-run non-profit. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change. With the Climate and Health equity fellowship, she hopes to focus the lens on the inequitable social determinants of health that climate change can have and learn just solutions to advocate for a healthier future for all.