Theresa Joubert, 59, sits in her living room, surrounded by fans, “The Price is Right” on the TV. Normally, she likes to go for walks around the neighborhood with her caretaker, Shirley McPherson, or sit underneath the trees in her yard.

But this summer, the heat has kept Joubert stuck at home. “I go outside, I’m dizzy,” Joubert said. “It’s that bad out there.”

For seniors like Joubert, the long-lasting heat this summer has been especially taxing. But across demographics, the exposure to — or efforts to avoid — the abnormally high temperatures of recent months have had adverse effects on people’s overall health.

“On an individual basis, it’s difficult to know if there’s a compounding effect,” said Aaron Webb, a physician assistant at the medical director’s office at Acadian Ambulance. The data, however, paints a picture of an accumulating impact.

The ambulance company saw increases in heat-related problems among the patients it transported in Louisiana in June and July compared to last year, of 26% and 20%, respectively. Then, in August, normally a time when those numbers start to wane, they saw more than double the amount of heat-related health issues as they did the previous year.

“This is abnormal,” Webb said. “You certainly have to pay more attention,” he added. “Everything just has to be more cautious.”

The heat can exacerbate symptoms of existing health issues, such as heart problems, respiratory issues or multiple sclerosis, according to physicians. Some medications used to treat those conditions, especially cardiovascular issues, can make those who take them more susceptible to heat-related illness.

Kenneth Mueller, an assistant clinical professor at the Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University in Atlanta, said patients on heart or blood pressure medication are advised to be careful when visiting a sauna, for example. When outside temperatures resemble a sauna, as they have for most of this summer, daily tasks bear greater risk for those patients.

“It’s definitely cause for concern,” Mueller said. Even very common medications, such as ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, can lead to severe reactions when paired with prolonged heat exposure, kidney injuries being the most common concern.

Staying on top of their medications has been more of a challenge for her patients as a result of the heat as well, said Traci Bourgeois, a general physician at Ochsner Lafayette General Community Health Center. At her clinic, Bourgeois said, providers are “seeing compliance issues as patients are having transportation challenges and unable to walk to the pharmacy or not scheduling appointments for routine care.”

Then there are the mental health implications of being cooped up for months as high temperatures turn every trip outside into a battle against the elements.

“It’s almost like heat-COVID,” said Michele Veillon, CEO and co-owner of Senior Helpers, an agency offering at-home care for seniors.

Caretaker Shirley McPherson plates a meal of eggs, bacon and grits on the kitchen counter of Theresa Joubert’s home in North Lafayette.

Staff photo by Alena Maschke

Even caretakers struggle with tasks they usually do for their clients, such as running errands or doing yard work. Adjusting to it is hard, said McPherson, Joubert’s caretaker. “The heat gets to me,” she admitted.

Chris Roy, executive director of 232-HELP, which provides crisis support and resource referrals, has noticed the same among both his clients and staff.

“It’s like an existential dread,” Roy said of the mood callers and — at times — staff members are in, as the relentless heat has dragged on. “There’s a real fatigue,” he added, noting that he’s seen more of his staff members call in sick or ask to work from home in the wake of unusually high temperatures.

“We typically think about physical health, coming in with a [heat] stroke and heat exhaustion or burns,” said Dr. Tina Stefanski, medical director for the Office of Public Health in the Acadiana region. Stefanski pointed to a 2022 study of emergency visits led by the University of Albany, NY, that showed increased visits for severe mental health symptoms during hot days.

“Clearly, there’s an effect on our mental health, when we’re exposed to this heat,” Stefanski said.

Whether it’s physical or mental health symptoms, periods of lingering, extremely high temperature pose a threat to public health and caution is advisable, Stefanski said. “People need to not assume that they’re immune and take precautions,” she noted.

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A new report shows unmet needs and barriers are continuing to affect those with mental health conditions.

In Louisiana, 715,000 adults have a mental health condition, and 44,000 ages 12–17 have depression, according to a National Alliance on Mental Illness report. In February 2021, 47.5% of adults in Louisiana reported symptoms of anxiety or depression. Many struggle with mental illness because of a lack of insurance and other resources, as well as the stigma associated with mental illness.

The Acadiana Area Human Services District conducted a community needs assessment for the residents of Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin and Vermilion parishes. The assessment showed that, within the seven parishes, 1,679 children had a substance use disorder in the past 12 months.

“What concerns me is that 1,523, which is the vast majority of that population, needed help but did not receive treatment,” Executive Director Brad Farmer said.

Insurance

Insurance is a barrier for many to receiving mental health care. Research from QuoteWizard showed a direct correlation between the number of people who don’t receive mental health care and the number of people who don’t have insurance.

In Louisiana, 8.9% of residents are uninsured, and many Louisianans are four times more likely to be forced out of network for mental health care than for primary health care, making it more difficult to find care and less affordable due to higher out-of-pocket costs. Of the 194,000 adults in Louisiana who did not receive needed mental health care, 41.8% did not because of the cost, according to NAMI.

Forbes ranked Louisiana No. 11 among the worst states for mental health care, reporting that 27.79% of adults with a cognitive disability could not see a doctor due to cost, and 62.50% of youth who had a major depressive episode in the past year did not receive mental health services.

Acadiana Area Human Services District was created to provide administration, management, behavioral health, addictive disorders, mental health disorders and developmental disabilities services to the residents of the seven parishes.

“We don’t turn anybody away due to financial status, that is a part of our mission, so financial issues are probably one of the least barriers for the populations we serve,” Farmer said.

Lack of professional care and service

In Louisiana, 3,398,990 people live in a community that does not have enough mental health professionals. Farmer cited the lack of resources in many rural areas.

“The service capacity is available within Acadiana, mostly centered in Lafayette,” Farmer said. “But when you get into those more rural areas, you see a lack of help. The workforce within this field is a problem because finding people to work that are licensed and have the right credentials is challenging. Not just in Lafayette but across the country, how do we get more employees?”

The Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services found that among 79% of Louisianans, DHHS reports only 26.2% of the mental health needs are being met, and that to meet the mental health needs of Louisiana’s citizens in the 167 Mental Health HCPAs would require 166 additional psychiatrists.

Social stigma

Nearly one-third of Americans have worried about others judging them when they told them they have sought mental health services, and 21%, have even lied to avoid telling people they were seeking mental health services, the report found.

The community needs assessment within Acadiana reported 20% of respondents were concerned about the stigma and peer pressure associated with mental health conditions.

“After being in the field for 32 years, I have seen the social stigma about mental health improve,” Farmer said. “If there was is one good thing about COVID, it tremendously impacted addressing stigma, because now people talk about it a lot more, and you hear people much more commonly hearing check on your mental health.”

This stigma is particularly true among younger Americans, who are more likely to have worried about others judging them when they seek mental health services, according to the National Council for Wellbeing. Other barriers included 45% believed trusting someone to speak with was difficult, and 46% not knowing how to get help.

The CDC states mental health can affect how we think, feel and act, all components of overall health.

To find out more about AAHSD and its services, resources and locations, visit aahsd.org.

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