DENVER — A new report by Healthy Air and Water Colorado found unrepresented communities in Denver are disproportionately impacted by extreme heat, which has led to health problems.
“I think one thing that stands out from the report, from a public health standpoint, is the fact that here in Denver, nine out of the 10 past summers have been the hottest on record. And I think for a neighborhood like Globeville, Elyria-Swansea, that's a critical issue, just given that so many people in this in these neighborhoods don't have adequate access to air conditioning,” said Jim Garcia, CEO and founder of Tepeyac Community Health Center, a non-profit that took part in the study.
Tepeyac Community Health Center is in Elyria-Swansea and Garcia said many of the center’s patients are dealing with chronic diseases.
“Diseases like diabetes or cardiovascular disease, and so when you compound that with a home that's very uncomfortable, because of the heat, that just compounds the chronic disease that the person is already dealing with. So, I think to be able to provide that level of comfort, just in terms of having an adequately cooled home, I think it's just really important,” Garcia said.
The report found Denver’s Black residents, residents making less than $35,000 a year, and renters make up the largest percentage of people without air conditioning.
The report also found that neighborhoods of color and low-income neighborhoods experience the most extreme heat.
For example, the report said just 3% of Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood has a tree canopy, which in turn causes temperatures a few degrees higher than in other parts of the city.
Garcia said in most underserved communities, combating the heat with air conditioning can be a luxury.
“In neighborhoods like Elyria-Swansea, you have lower income families that can't afford to have air conditioners, can't afford to pay the monthly utility bill associated with running your air conditioner throughout a hot summer,” Garcia said. “Air quality is also a huge issue for this neighborhood. In particular, we have the Suncor refinery just a couple of miles away ... When you're talking about really poor air quality that is really centralized in neighborhoods like this, opening your windows and doors is not a great option.”
Victor Galvan, a strategic partnerships manager for the Conservation Colorado Protégete Initiative, has lived in Denver his whole life and said the findings of the report reflect his life experiences.
“Growing up in Denver, we had far too many days of hot weather where we could not shield ourselves from it. And, you know, I would beg my mom to take us to the pool or take us somewhere where we could cool off and sometimes not having access to those pools because they were shut down," Galvan said. “The inaccessibility for communities to actually find places to shield themselves from the heat absolutely fuels my passion for this issue. I want to work with politicians to find a solution because I know we have the resources.”
Galvan said even for those without chronic health conditions, the heat is leading to health emergencies.
“High Latino counties have far more heat emergency room visits, three times more heat emergency room visits than their white counterparts,” Galvan said.
Galvan said everyone deserves a cool home, not out of comfort but out of necessity.
