"There's just layers upon layers upon layers of equity issues built into this, unfortunately," Weston said. Here's how the city hopes to get thereįinally, Weston said a lack of access to medical care, either in the form of proper medication or easy access to a primary care physician, would explain why someone would be more likely to call EMS. More: Milwaukee charts course to become carbon neutral by 2050. "So you're not going to have that sort of air movement and you're going to have that particulate matter get more trapped."ĭisadvantaged communities have 60% fewer trees compared to the city’s average, according to the recently passed Climate and Equity plan by the city of Milwaukee. "If you're in a community that does not have green space, which is unfortunately where a lot of our vulnerable folks live, it's a heat sink," he said. Weston said discrepancies in green space also could affect the amount of dangerous particulate matter in the air. More: Fresh data documents the impact that race and income have on health of Wisconsin residents
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Other factors that could lead to such a disparity could be attributed to substandard housing - homes with mold, animal dander or other triggers, as well as without air conditioning, which would prevent residents from closing windows and doors to keep dangerous air from getting into their houses. Weston noted that Black residents have higher rates of pre-existing health conditions that could be exacerbated by the particulate in wildfire smoke, including asthma and COPD. Milwaukee County's population is 27.1% Black, according to the most recent census data. Office of Emergency Management data show a disproportionate amount of calls for respiratory issues – 54.8% – have been for Black Milwaukeeans. Respiratory issues are disproportionately affecting Black Milwaukeeans "The amount of exacerbation we're seeing from the air quality right now is something that can be turned around in a lot of cases," he said. Asthmatic patients, for example, could be treated with nebulizers by EMS and would not need to go to the hospital. Weston said patients dealing with respiratory issues are likely able to receive adequate care before reaching the hospital. This did not surprise Ben Weston, the chief health policy advisor for Milwaukee County and an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Elevated emergency calls, but no corresponding rise in hospital visitsĭespite the increased number of EMS calls, no area hospitals reported a surge in emergency room visits or admittances for respiratory issues. There had been a slight increase in calls for cardiovascular issues, but not an equivalently large increase. "Some people have headaches, and also chest pain and chest tightness." "There's been a fairly notable increase in complaints of difficulty breathing and wheezing," Pojar said. Data from Monday and Tuesday, which had worse air quality than Sunday, was not fully available, but Pojar predicted it would show a similar upward trend in EMS calls.
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