Maricopa County Medical Society to fight poor air quality in Phoenix

Phoenix ranks among the worst cities for pollution and air quality according to the American Lung Association (ALA). The Maricopa County Medical Society (MCMS) is teaming up with the American Lung Association in Arizona to educate residents who have lung issues on ways to improve their health.

Desire’e Hardge, CEO and Executive Director of MCMS, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the efforts within the alliance, of the two organizations, to combat poor air quality in Arizona.

The MCMS plans to educate healthcare providers and distribute air sensors, called “PurpleAir,” allowing residents to engage more closely in monitoring their air quality in target neighborhoods.

“They will get material to hand out to their patients to make them more informed in regards to the air quality around their living environment,” Hardge said.

The organization will also work with community members and health professionals to share that data with others to advocate for change.

According to Hardge, this partnership, with an association comparable to the ALA, is unusual for the MCMS because they are not a human health services organization.

Predominantly, the MCMS advocates and works to offer resources and support to physicians as health care providers and individuals across Maricopa County.

“This is one of our first steps in supporting an organization and their campaign as it pertains to human health services,” Hardge said.

The ultimate goal of the collaboration is to focus on community monitoring, education, and research and to create awareness of the air pollutants that surround Maricopa County, according to Hardge.