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Helene nearly turned a hospital into a death trap

By Scientific American  
   October 03, 2024

Hurricane Helene's widespread impact across the southern United States underscores how climate change jeopardizes the nation's healthcare system. The brick and mortar buildings Americans depend on to recover from crises such as Helene are themselves in peril as rising temperatures intensify disasters. Several county health departments across Tennessee remain closed due to flooding, while other hospitals have paused outpatient surgeries and chemotherapy treatments in the wake of Helene. Some ERs in southern Appalachia are only open for patients who are giving birth. And thousands of pharmacies across the southeastern U.S. are out of commission.

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