As Phoenix temperatures soar into the triple digits, the city's homeless population faces deadly risks from extreme heat. Organizations like Circle the City are stepping in to provide lifesaving IV hydration to individuals like Alfred Handley, who gratefully received saline solution from a street medicine team. Last year, nearly half of Maricopa County’s 645 heat-related deaths involved homeless individuals, highlighting the urgent need for these innovative interventions.

Nationwide, healthcare providers are ramping up efforts to protect the homeless from rising summer temperatures. The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, for instance, now treats heat exhaustion alongside frostbite and hypothermia. In Phoenix, street teams search for those in need within homeless encampments, offering wound care, medication refills, and other essential services. Such initiatives are crucial as the city grapples with temperatures reaching up to 115 degrees and an increase in heat illness cases among the homeless.

Circle the City, founded in 2012, operates with 260 employees and serves 9,000 patients annually, distributing thousands of water bottles and providing education on heat safety. The organization collaborates with local hospitals to offer post-hospitalization care and prevent further heat-related health issues. With plans to introduce advancements like blood analysis tools for detecting dehydration, Circle the City aims to continue its holistic approach, which includes long-term housing solutions to keep patients off the streets.