Diagnosing Climate Change
The impact of climate change is being integrated into physician practices and medical education
By Howard Wolinsky
IN SEPTEMBER 2017, Hurricane Maria, a deadly Category 5 storm, devastated the northeastern Caribbean. Maria, the 10th most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record, caused 3,059 deaths, 2,075 of these in Puerto Rico.
In 2018, the impact of the hurricane reached into the examination room of Amanda Osta, MD, a pediatric internist who was examining 7-year-old Jalen in her examining room at UI Health, which is located on Chicago’s West Side.
During the exam, Dr. Osta asked the boy’s mother what they had been up to. The mother mentioned that the family had recently visited relatives in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria and had remained in the U.S. territory to help their relatives during the recovery.
“I’ll never forget it,” Dr. Osta said. “The boy had like five or six little matchbox cars with him and, as I was talking to his mom and we discussed the hurricane, he started twirling his matchbox cars around the room.”
The patient was reenacting what he saw during Hurricane Maria, which tossed cars around like matchbox cars. Dr. Osta arranged for the boy to get behavioral health support.
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